Tight End Alex Smith Traded to the Patriots
April 30, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under Football
The New England Patriots always seem to value having depth at tight end. On Thursday, they completed a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for tight end Alex Smith. In return, the Bucs received a draft pick in 2010 NFL Draft.
Smith is a 24-year-old out of Stanford who has shown good potential at various points in his career. The best season of his four-year career was his rookie campaign. In 16 games in 2005, he had 41 receptions for 367 yards and two touchdowns.
His consistency statistically has been impressive. Over the last three seasons, he’s had three touchdowns in each season, while playing in exactly 14 games.
One of the biggest question marks with Smith is his health. He always seems to be banged up and hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year. His production over the years has slowly dropped. Since his rookie year, each year he’s finished with less catches than the year before.
Tampa Bay didn’t need him any longer after trading for Kellen Winslow earlier in the offseason. In New England, Smith could battle for a starting position but will more likely be a part of the team’s depth.
Gillette Stadium in Foxboro (Image: Flickr)
