Ihmir

Smith-Marsette

Ihmir Smith-Marsette fared well as a returner in the preseason, averaging 23.0 yards per kick return and 10.0 yards per punt return. He could be a practice squad candidate for the Giants.

Smith-Marsette signed with the Giants after return specialist Gunner Olszewski went down with an injury early in the season. He only took the field for seven offensive snaps but returned both kicks and punts for the G-Men. Smith-Marsette was one of seven players to take a kickoff to the house last year and his 100-yard return was the longest of the season.

The veteran special teams ace last played for the Panthers and was signed following the injury to Gunner Olszewski. Smith-Marsette shouldn’t be counted on for many, if any, offensive snaps at wide receiver at this point in his career, meaning he can be left on the waiver wire in fantasy leagues.

Smith-Marsette played last season with the Panthers, catching eight passes for 51 yards and no touchdowns. The former fifth-round pick has bounced around between four teams since entering the league in 2021 and has just 14 career receptions to his name. Playing on a roster that’s rather thin on receiver talent, Smith-Marsette will likely have to compete for a roster spot in camp.

The seventh-round picks are conditional seventh-rounders, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. In addition to his role as a receiver, Smith-Marsette also has experience as a return man. It’s possible the Panthers acquired Smith-Marsette for his return abilities, but he could find some work in a relatively thin receiver room.

Smith-Marsette played a season-high 25 snaps on Thursday Night Football last week, dropping his lone target. He had just one catch in six active games with the Bears. His 2021 finale (3/103/1) showed that he can play a little in this league, so he could be claimed on waivers yet again. Chicago had claimed him from the Vikings at last cuts this year.

Unfortunately, Fields’ biggest play of the day was called back due to an illegal block in the back penalty. On the play, Fields scrambled for a 52-yard TD, making multiple Vikings defenders look silly in the process. However, it went down as just a 12-yard run after the spot foul was assessed. Fields looked pretty out of sync early in the game, but the Bears came alive a bit in the second half and led the game 22-21 in the fourth quarter. After Chicago went down seven, Fields had the Bears moving down the field with under two minutes left, picking up a 2-and-19 with an underneath throw to David Montgomery. On the following play, however, Ihmir Smith-Marsette fumbled the ball while fighting for extra yards, ending the game. Fields is flashing upside at times but he will be an uninspiring streaming option against the Commanders in Week 6.

Smith-Marsette was let go after the Vikings traded for Jalen Reagor on Wednesday. The Bears needed some more wideout help after placing Tajae Sharpe and N’Keal Harry on injured reserve.

Smith-Marsette loses his roster spot to trade pickup Jalen Reagor. As a rookie, Smith-Marsette appeared in eight games and caught 5-of-6 targets for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 86 offensive snaps. He’s another member of the Vikings’ 2021 draft class cut in the last 24 hours. Only four of the 11 picks made by ex-GM Rick Spielman last year remain on the active roster.

Wilson signed with the Vikings on a one-year deal in May. He had a shot at being a depth option at receiver and a kick returner, though Minnesota clearly liked what they had elsewhere on the roster. The move is a good sign for Ihmir Smith-Marsette. The Vikings added Smith-Marsette in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He didn’t see the field much as a rookie but did generate a few splash plays late in the year, scoring twice on a measly five catches. He will likely operate as the team’s primary kick returner while competing with Bisi Johnson for WR4 duties.