The Buffalo Bills have been doing their homework on veteran tight ends to add to the roster. Early Thursday morning, it was reported the Bills were interested in Ben Watson, who ended up signing a one-year deal with the New England Patriots.
On One Bills Live, Bills’ linebacker Lorenzo Alexander announced that the Bills would be hosting Lee Smith after spending the last four seasons with the Oakland Raiders.
“Most rooms have a guy that’s at least been in the league six or seven years... Maybe the only position that doesn’t have that is probably tight end. That’s why you have a guy like Lee Smith coming in on a visit,” said Alexander.
Smith was the second tight end for the Bills for four years from 2011-2014. During that time, he appeared in 56 games with the Bills including 34 starts. Smith hauled in just 20 catches and 144 yards for three touchdowns during that time. His production with the Raiders increased mildly while his main role as a blocker stayed the same. Smith has 56 receptions for 392 yards and seven touchdowns over his eight-year career. He has also been a contributor on special teams, having played 203 snaps for the Raiders in the 2018 season.
Smith would be a veteran presence in the locker room for a group of young and inexperienced tight ends. His abilities as a pass-catcher may be slim, but as a run-blocker and a guy who has a lot of professional experience over his eight NFL seasons he would provide a tremendous amount of value.
It will be interesting to see if the Bills add Smith to a relatively crowded tight end room that includes Tyler Kroft, Jason Croom, and rookies Dawson Knox (third round pick) and Tommy Sweeney (seventh round pick). Check back with Buffalo Rumblings for all of the latest on the potential signing of tight end Lee Smith.