Dawuane

Smoot

Lions did not practice all week after sustaining a knee injury in the Bills’ Week 14 loss to the Rams. The veteran corner has started in every game for the Bills this season, earning a PFF coverage grade of 59.2 while allowing 36 receptions for 446 yards and three touchdowns on 48 targets. With Douglas sidelined who saw an increased role in last week’s game. In addition to Douglas, the Bills have also said safeties Taylor Rapp (neck/shoulder) and Damar Hamlin (back/ribs), and defensive end Dawuane Smoot (wrist) are all questionable for Week 15.

He’ll miss at least four weeks with the injury. Smoot played 22 snaps last week against the Dolphins and has played 48% of the Bills defensive snaps this year. He has 1.5 sacks and 8 solo tackles as a mostly run-downs defensive lineman.

The Jaguars allowed Smoot’s contract to expire at the end of the 2023 season, paving the way for the Bills to bring on the veteran end. Smoot appeared in just 12 games last season due to a torn Achilles injury he suffered late in the 2022 season. He managed just 10 tackles and one sack in those games but had totaled five or more sacks in each of the previous seasons before his injury. Whether or not he’ll be able to get back to his old form is to be determined, but another year removed from injury should bode well for Smoot, who is heading into his eighth year in the league.

Smoot hasn’t played since a torn Achilles ended his season in Week 15 last year. Coach Doug Pederson said he doesn’t expect Smoot, who plays in subpackages, to be on a snap count in his first game. Smoot has at least five sacks in each of the last four seasons and 23 in six seasons with Jacksonville.

First reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Smoot is getting $3.25 million in guaranteed money but can reportedly earn up to $6.25 million on his one-year deal with the Jags. The veteran defensive end suffered a torn Achilles in December and is already questionable for Week 1, but had a visit with the Ravens lined up before the Jaguars opted to re-sign him. Smoot totaled five sacks for the Jaguars last season and has 22.5 career sacks in six seasons.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Smoot is “doing well in his rehab” from the torn Achilles’ tendon he suffered in December. His status for Week 1 remains in doubt, but Smoot would give the Ravens a strong depth option on the defensive line when healthy. He totaled five sacks and six TFLs as a role-player in 2022.

Smoot tore his Achilles in December, missing the final two games on IR. The timing of the surgery has his status for the start of 2023 in doubt. Smoot lost his starting role last year but made an impact as a sub-package rusher, posting five sacks and six TFLs on a 44% snap share. Jacksonville would likely have Smoot open 2023 on the PUP list if he re-signs.

Smoot went down in a heap late in the Jaguars’ Thursday night win over the Jets and was helped to the sideline. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the team confirmed Smoot, a second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, had torn his Achilles and would miss the rest of the season.

The No. 68 overall pick of the 2017 Draft, Smoot played a career-high 665 snaps last season, registering seven sacks and 15 hurries. Already 26, Smoot is not super projectable at this stage of his career, but he has gotten a little bit better with each passing year. He’s a fine body to keep around on your defensive line if he’s already there.

Smoot (6’3/264) made 24 starts on the Fighting Illini defensive line, graduating sixth in school history in tackles for loss (38.5) and eighth in sacks (16.5). He was only a third-team All-Big Ten pick as a senior despite finishing second in the conference in QB pressures (43). A disruptive college edge player who was inconsistent against the run, Smoot raised athleticism question marks with 29th-percentile SPARQ results in Indy. Smoot has a place in the NFL, but it’s likely not as a starter. He would do well to become a useful situational rusher.