[jwplayer YqDFDIWU-XNcErKyb]
Fresh off another opportunity with a professional developmental league, a former Michigan football household name is getting another chance.
De’Veon Smith became the bell cow for the Wolverines in 2015-16, but went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft. He signed with the Miami Dolphins and saw some spot duty on the active roster, but only lasted a handful of games, moving up and down from the practice squad. He signed the following year with Washington, but was waived before he ever saw the field.
He managed to get a chance with the Orlando Apollos in the upstart AAF, but that league folded. Then, he moved onto the Tampa Bay Vipers in the XFL, but that league did the same — though Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has purchased it and is looking to revitalize it.
So Smith tried his hand with The Spring League, where he played with the Aviators. He did well enough there that he was signed to the BC Lions, the Canadian Football League team in British Columbia.
Aviators RB De’Veon Smith (@i_BSmith4) has signed with the @BCLions! #TSLinCFL pic.twitter.com/rTGn9KhDb8
— The Spring League 🏈 (@TheSpringLeague) December 16, 2020
At Michigan, Smith appeared in 41 games, rushed 495 times for 2,235 yards and 22 touchdowns, while adding 38 receptions for 251 yards and another touchdown. In the NFL, he appeared in five games and had three pass receptions for 27 yards.
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