Who Should I Start? Stone Smartt or Elijah Higgins

Thursday, March 13, 4:21 PM

The New York Jets signed former Los Angeles Chargers tight end Stone Smartt to an undisclosed one-year deal on Thursday, a source tells NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Smartt was a restricted free agent this offseason but was not tendered by the Bolts, making him available to all teams. The 26-year-old former undrafted free agent came on strong late last year for L.A. and finished with career-highs in catches (16) and receiving yards (208) on 19 targets in 15 regular-season games (two starts), although he didn't find the end zone at all. Smartt could have an opportunity to build on his 2024 season in his new home in New York in 2025, as Tyler Conklin and Kenny Yeboah are currently unrestricted free agents. The only other TE on the Jets' current roster is Jeremy Ruckert. The Jets could still add to the position in free agency and the draft, but Smartt will be one to watch heading into training camp this summer.

Monday, September 30, 7:51 AM

Arizona Cardinals tight end Elijah Higgins caught two of his three targets for 12 yards in Sunday's loss to the Washington Commanders. Filling in for the injured Trey McBride (concussion), Higgins had a favorable matchup against a Commanders defense that has struggled in pass coverage this season. However, he failed to capitalize, as the Cardinals managed just 142 passing yards despite shifting to a pass-heavy game script. Although Higgins was on the field most of the snaps, there seemed to be no emphasis on getting him the ball. Given his limited involvement in this opportunity, Higgins remains a long shot as a streaming option next week against the San Francisco 49ers.