The Detroit Lions signed 12 players to reserve/futures contracts last week as the team’s 90-man offseason roster was assembled. Tre-Quan Smith, a wide receiver, was signed by the Lions on Wednesday to a reserve/futures contract, per NFL insider Aaron Wilson.
Smith was visiting the Lions earlier on Wednesday, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver. Klis also reported on the signing.
Smith participated in one game after joining the Denver Broncos practice squad in October. However, it also marked a reunion with Sean Payton, the head coach. Between 2018 and 2022, he was a player for the New Orleans Saints, where he spent the first four seasons as head coach under Payton. In September, the Saints placed him on injured reserve and then released him.
That implies, of course, that Smith is connected to the Lions coaching staff. Payton oversaw Smith’s first three seasons in New Orleans as head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
What role might Tre’Quan Smith play on the Detroit Lions roster?
Smith joined the Saints for five seasons and started 35 games. In 2018, the Saints selected him in the third round out of UCF.
2020 was his greatest season ever, with 34 receptions for 448 yards and four touchdowns. In 2018 and 2019, he scored five touchdowns, a career high.
Smith is a smart risk for the Lions to take at this time because of his strong speed (4.49 40-yard dash at the 2018 NFL Combine) and respectable stature (6-foot-1, 210 pounds). The depth at wide receiver is not a major problem, but Donovan Peoples-Jones and Josh Reynolds are unrestricted free agents. Apart from Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Reynolds (if he returns), and Kalif Raymond, nobody’s position on the roster or role appears certain for the upcoming year.
Considering that he did not sign a futures contract with the Broncos while he was on their practice squad at the end of the season agreement, Smith was free to meet and sign with any team without waiting for the start of the next league season. When the offseason training begins, he will have the chance to prove himself worthy of a spot on the Detroit roster.
