Tag: Andre Smith

Watch: Panthers LB Andre Smith training on footwork for 2020 season

Watch backup Andre Smith training on his footwork.

Losing Luke Kuechly to an early retirement is an undeniable bummer for the Carolina Panthers defense. The team signed Tahir Whitehead in the offseason, but that won’t do much to mitigate the loss of the best off-ball linebacker of his generation.

The silver lining is that some of the younger linebackers on the team will get an opportunity to show what they can do. Watch backup Andre Smith training on his footwork.

Phil Snow may change things up. For now, we are projecting Smith as the No. 4 linebacker on the depth chart behind Whitehead, Shaq Thompson and Jermaine Carter Jr..

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Panthers LB Andre Smith says Gronk’s Madden 21 rating is ‘disrespectful’

Panthers linebacker Andre Smith says Rob Gronkowski’s Madden 21 rating is ‘disrespectful.’

It’s that time of year again when NFL players are upset about their ratings in the latest edition of Madden. Last night, EA Sports dropped the official ratings for every player in the game.

As usual, there were some very interesting choices by the game developers. Michael Thomas being rated higher than Julio Jones and a part of the prestigious “99 Club” along with Christian McCaffrey, Aaron Donald, Patrick Mahomes and Stephon Gilmore is certainly one of them.

Some Panthers linebackers have issues with the ratings. Jermaine Carter Jr. thinks his athletic testing should have gotten him a better agility score.

Carter earned a 69 overall rating.

His teammate Andre Smith had a different problem. He thinks Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski’s 95 overall rating is too high considering he wasn’t even in the league last year.

Smith says he has no problem with his 62 overall rating, but Gronk’s is disrespectful to other tight ends who should be ahead of him.

A fair point. The guys who have the most cause to complain are Zach Ertz (90 overall) and Austin Hooper (89). At best, Gronk should probably be no higher than 87 at this point in his career.

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Watch: Panthers LB Andre Smith talks protests, using his platform

Watch backup linebacker Andre Smith talk about how the team has supporters players’ initiatives and using his platform.

The Jerry Richardson era technically came to an end when David Tepper officially bought the franchise two years ago. Last week, it became clear just how much the culture has changed for the Carolina Panthers. While it would be difficult to imagine Richardson being supportive of the protests currently sweeping the nation, this front office has given players the green light to express their thoughts on social justice issues.

Watch backup linebacker Andre Smith talk about how the team has supported the players’ initiatives and using his platform for the greater good.

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5 Panthers players attended ‘justice walk’ protest in Charlotte

Clearly this is an important issue for many players and isn’t going away.

Social unrest continues to grip many cities across the nation. It’s practically impossible to not feel affected by the news in some way and the Carolina Panthers are no exception. For the last week, many players have been expressing their thoughts on social media, urging reform.

Despite the risk that the pandemic poses, they’re also getting out and protesting IRL. Last night in Charlotte, five players participated in a “justice walk” demonstration. According to team reporter Bill Voth, the group included linebackers Shaq Thompson and Andre Smith, free safety Tre Boston and tight ends Chris Manhertz and Ian Thomas.

When the walk got started, Thompson was among those leading the way, according to a report by the Charlotte Observer.

 

The protest eventually found its way out front Bank of America Stadium. Elaina Getzenberg later reported that police broke up the demonstration using pepper spray, rubber bullets and flash bangs.

Other players are continuing to use Twitter as an outlet to share their feelings. Today, running back Mike Davis said he wants to help but admitted he doesn’t know how.

Third-year wide receiver D.J. Moore also spoke out.

Clearly this is an important issue for many players and isn’t going away.

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Ravens cut OL James Hurst

The Baltimore Ravens have cut backup guard and tackle James Hurst, freeing up an estimated $2.75 million on the 2020 salary cap.

The Baltimore Ravens might have something against anyone with the last name “Hurst” at this point. After agreeing to a deal to trade tight end Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons, the Ravens announced they have released offensive lineman James Hurst.

According to Over The Cap, a pre-June 1 cut would free up $2.75 million on Baltimore’s 2020 salary cap. A post-June 1 cut would free up $4 million but carry $1.25 million in dead money into the 2021 season.

Hurst was signed to a four-year deal prior to the 2018 season after playing well at guard in 2017. However, Hurst struggled at right tackle in 2018 and eventually lost the starting job to Orlando Brown.

Still, the decision to cut Hurst is a shocking one. Though he’s suspended for the first four games of the 2020 season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, Hurst was thought to be Baltimore’s top backup offensive lineman at both guard and tackle. With Marshal Yanda’s retirement this offseason as well, cutting Hurst puts a pretty big dent in the Ravens’ depth chart.

With Hurst being cut, Andre Smith is the only backup tackle Baltimore has on their roster after re-signing him to a one-year deal this offseason.

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Ravens re-sign former Alabama tackle Andre Smith to one year deal

On Thursday, the Baltimore Ravens re-signed former Alabama tackle Andre Smith to a one year deal.

On Thursday, the Baltimore Ravens re-signed former Alabama tackle Andre Smith to a one year deal. The terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.

Smith, who is a 12 year veteran, was drafted as the sixth overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2009 draft. He stayed with the Bengals until 2015 before playing for the Minnesota Vikings in 2016 Arizona Cardinals in 2018, and the Ravens in 2019. Throughout that time, he did return to the Bengals twice for two short stints with them.

Smith initially signed with the Ravens on Jan. 8 of this year after the team placed guard Parker Ehinger on injured reserve.

Smith will reunite with former teammate Mark Ingram who has become one of the dynamic parts of Baltimore’s offense.

Roll Tide Wire will release the terms of his one year deal once they are announced.

Roll Tide!

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Ravens re-sign T Andre Smith to 1-year contract

Though T Andre Smith didn’t play in any games for the Baltimore Ravens, they liked what they saw from him enough to re-sign him

One of the first things the Baltimore Ravens have to do this offseason is to figure out which of their own players they want to try to re-sign. Though the Ravens have much higher priorities among their 21 pending free agents, Baltimore has gotten an early start on the process. The team announced they re-signed tackle Andre Smith to a one-year contract.

The Ravens had signed Smith just prior to their playoff game against the Tennessee Titans. Though Smith was a healthy scratch for the playoff game, it appears as though Baltimore liked what they saw and were interested in keeping him as experienced depth.

Smith really doesn’t have a shot at the starting lineup, barring an injury ahead of him. The Ravens are set with both tackles Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown Jr. going to the Pro Bowl for 2019. However, offensive lineman James Hurst could be a potential salary-cap casualty this offseason and the addition of Smith might point to Baltimore believing the same thing. While Smith’s contract details haven’t been reported yet, he’ll likely be cheaper than the $5.25 million cap hit Hurst carries in 2020, per OTC.

Even if Hurst isn’t cut this offseason, Smith’s 11 years of experience would be valuable to an offensive line that has very little experienced depth behind Stanley and Brown.

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Former Bengals OL Andre Smith gets Super Bowl shot with Ravens

Andre Smith is now a member of the Ravens.

At least one former member of the Cincinnati Bengals will get a chance at winning this year’s Super Bowl.

Andre Smith inked a deal with the Baltimore Ravens this week to serve in a reserve role for the Lamar Jackson-led favorites in the AFC.

Smith, 32, joined the Bengals via the first round back in 2009 and stuck with the team until he bounced around with a few different teams, including Bengals returns. He started five of his six games with the Bengals this season before getting cut in late November.

Smith’s Ravens take on the Tennessee Titans this Saturday with kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET.

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Ravens sign former Bengals T Andre Smith, put G Parker Ehinger on IR

The Ravens needed to add some depth to their OL with Parker Ehinger going to IR. They added a familiar face in Bengals T Andre Smith

The Baltimore Ravens might have been great enough to not only make the playoffs but be the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but that doesn’t mean they think they’re perfect. With the Tennessee Titans coming to town this weekend for the divisional round, the Ravens are changing up their offensive line depth a bit.

Guard Parker Ehinger has been dealing with a shoulder injury, listed as not practicing on the injury report for this week. The injury was apparently bad enough to end his season, with Baltimore putting him on injured reserve. To fill the spot, the Ravens have signed former Cincinnati Bengals tackle Andre Smith, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and confirmed by Jamison Hensley.

Smith didn’t play much for Cincinnati this season, getting waived following their Week 10 loss to the Ravens. Smith started five games this season, seeing 254 snaps on offense. While Smith is far from his prime, he brings a great deal of experience to the team. He’s been in the league for 11 seasons now.

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Report: Texans work out offensive tackle Andre Smith

On Tuesday, the Houston Texans worked out offensive tackle Andre Smith, Travis Vornkahl and tight end Paul Butler. None were signed.

The Houston Texans continue to tinker with their offensive line. On Tuesday, the team worked out offensive tackles Andre Smith and Travis Vornkahl as well as tight end Paul Butler, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

The Texans did not sign any of the three.

Smith, 32, was released by the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 30. They previously made him a first-round selection in 2009 out of Alabama. He had stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals before returning to the team in 2018.

According to Pro Football Focus, Smith allowed three sacks on 254 blocking snaps before his release.

Vornkahl, 24, went undrafted out of West Texas A&M in 2019. He measures in at 6-5, 300-pounds. He spent time with the Washington Redskins practice squad earlier in the season.

Butler, 26, is in his second year in the NFL. He spent his collegiate career at the University of California. He previously played with the Oakland Raiders.