Who Should I Start? Marcedes Lewis or Durham Smythe

Thursday, May 29, 2:50 PM

Veteran free-agent tight end Marcedes Lewis wants to play in 2025, and he expects it to be his final NFL season. The 41-year-old spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Bears following five seasons with the Green Bay Packers and 12 campaigns with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Originally a first-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of UCLA, Lewis has tallied 437 receptions for 5,115 yards and 40 touchdowns in 285 career games. He hasn't cracked 400 receiving yards since 2012, but he is one of the better blocking tight ends in the league. If he signs somewhere for a 20th NFL season, he will not be on the fantasy football radar. Either way, it's easy to root for the veteran who has been remarkably healthy late in his career.

Thursday, March 6, 2:33 PM

The Chicago Bears signed former Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe to a one-year deal on Thursday, according to NFL.com. The former fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame has played his entire seven-year career with Miami but was released this offseason. Overall, the 28-year-old has hauled in 132 receptions for 1,228 yards and three touchdowns in 112 career games. Smythe is best utilized as a blocker, and with Chicago trading for former Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Jonah Jackson and former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Joe Thuney, it's evident they want to improve quickly in run and pass blocking. Smythe could help Chicago's offense in 2025 under new head coach Ben Johnson, but he's unlikely to be on the fantasy football radar.