The Detroit Lions added 12 players to reserve/future contracts last week, when the 90-man offseason roster was being created. According to NFL source Aaron Wilson, the Lions signed wide receiver Tre-Quan Smith to a reserve/future contract on Wednesday.
Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reported Smith’s visit to the Lions earlier Wednesday, as well as the signing.
Smith was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad in October and appeared in one game. However, there was also a reunion with head coach Sean Payton. He played with the New Orleans Saints from 2018 to 2022, with Payton serving as head coach for the first four seasons. Prior to his release in September, the Saints placed him on injured reserve.
Of course, this means Smith has ties to the Lions’ coaching staff. During Smith’s first three seasons in New Orleans, he was coached by Dan Campbell and served as defensive coordinator under Payton.
How might Tre’Quan Smith fit into the Detroit Lions’ roster?
Smith, a third-round pick from UCF in 2018, started 35 games with the Saints over the course of five seasons. His greatest season came in 2020, when he recorded 34 receptions for 448 yards and four touchdowns. He scored a career-high five touchdowns in 2018 and 2019.
Smith has terrific size (6-foot-1, 210 pounds) and speed (4.49 40-yard dash at the 2018 NFL Combine), making him a solid flier for the Lions to take right now.
Wide receiver depth isn’t a major worry, but Josh Reynolds and Donovan Peoples-Jones are free agents. Aside from Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond, and Reynolds (if he returns), no one’s roster status or role appears to be set for next season.
Because he was on the Broncos’ practice squad at the end of the season and they did not sign him to a futures contract, Smith became a street free agent, allowing him to meet and sign with any team without having to wait until the new league year began. When the offseason begins, he’ll have the opportunity to earn a roster place in Detroit.
