Who Should I Start? Eric Saubert or Irv Smith Jr.

Monday, March 24, 8:25 PM

The Seattle Seahawks signed veteran free-agent tight end Eric Saubert to an undisclosed deal on Monday, according to Seahawks.com's John Boyle. Saubert, originally a fifth-round selection (174th overall) by the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 out of Drake, will now join his eighth NFL team as he heads into his ninth year in the league. The 30-year-old spent last year with the San Francisco 49ers, where he caught 11 of 14 targets for 97 yards and one touchdown in 17 games (three starts). Saubert will remain in the NFC West and will serve as a backup behind Noah Fant and A.J. Barner in Seattle, leaving him virtually no fantasy appeal. Barring injuries to Fant and Barner, expect Saubert to mostly factor in on special teams. His best season came back in 2022 with the Denver Broncos, when he caught 15 of 24 targets for 148 yards and one touchdown in 17 games (six starts).

Tuesday, September 17, 10:22 PM

The Houston Texans signed free-agent tight end Irv Smith and former starting center Scott Quessenberry to their practice squad on Tuesday following successful tryouts, according to league sources. Smith, a former second-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings out of Alabama, will give Houston more depth at the TE position behind Dalton Schultz, Brevin Jordan and rookie Cade Stover. He has 109 career receptions for 973 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career with the Vikings, Bengals and Chiefs, but injuries have really held him back from reaching his true ceiling. Texans center Juice Scruggs (groin), who missed the Week 2 win over the Bears on Sunday night, is on track to return this week against the Vikings, but Quessenberry will give the team more depth at the position. Quessenberry started for Houston two seasons ago when Justin Britt stepped away for personal reasons.