The Houston Texans signed former Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. for their practice squad on Wednesday after placing tight end Brevin Jordan on injured reserve.
Smith had been out of the NFL since the Kansas City Chiefs released him on Aug. 27 as they reduced their preseason roster to the regular-season limit. Smith had signed with Kansas City as a free agent in March.
Now out with a knee injury, Jordan had played 67 offensive snaps in Houston’s first two games, with Dalton Schultz leading the tight ends with 107 snaps. The other tight end on the Texans’ active roster, Cade Stover played 29 offensive snaps, but those included appearances at fullback. Houston also has tight end Dalton Keene on its practice squad.
The players on the practice squad do everything that players on the active roster do except play in the games. However, each NFL team can elevate two members of its practice squad to active status for each game.
The Texans play the Minnesota Vikings at noon CDT Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Smith had 44 receptions for 710 yards with seven touchdowns for Alabama in 2018, when the Crimson Tide won the SEC championship and Orange Bowl before losing in the CFP national-championship game.
Smith joined Minnesotain the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and caught 66 passes for 676 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two seasons while playing in a tight-end tandem with Kyle Rudolph.
In 2021, a torn meniscus caused Smith to miss the entire season.
In 2022, Smith sustained an ankle injury in a 34-26 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 30 and missed the next nine games. Smith returned for the regular-season finale, then played in the Vikings’ 31-24 loss to the New York Giants in the first round of the postseason.
After four seasons with Minnesota, Smith signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals last offseason. Smith had 18 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown in 12 games, with six starts, in 2023.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
