Official: Falcons Acquire TE Jonnu Smith in Trade with Patriots
The Atlanta Falcons have added to their tight end's room at the start of the new league year.
According to NFL Network, the Falcons have acquired tight end Jonnu Smith from the New England Patriots in exchange for a seventh-round pick.
The move - which was officially announced by the Falcons on Wednesday - reunites Smith with Falcons coach Arthur Smith.
The Smiths' worked together for four years with the Tennessee Titans when Arthur was the tight ends coach who helped draft Jonnu in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
In his Titans tenure, 2019 and 2020 were the two best years of Jonnu Smith’s career. In 2019, Jonnu Smith caught 35 passes for 439 yards and three touchdowns. In 2020, he caught 41 passes for 448 yards and eight touchdowns.
In the 2021 offseason, Jonnu Smith signed a four-year deal worth up to $50 million with New England. However, he failed to have more than 30 catches and 300 yards in each of his two seasons with the Patriots.
With Kyle Pitts recovering from a knee injury, the acquisition of Jonnu Smith figures to make the tight end position more of a viable threat, even when Pitts is healthy.
It also gives whichever quarterback - be it Desmond Ridder or new signee Taylor Heinicke - under center another big target to pass to in the middle of the field. Smith can be seen as a receiving threat, but should Pitts stay healthy, he will act more as a blocking tight end in the Falcons offense.
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