New TE Among 4 Falcons on NFL COVID List

The Atlanta Falcons traded a seventh-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in March to acquire blocking tight end Lee Smith.

Today they placed Smith on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Smith was the most notable among four Falcons placed on the list Tuesday.

The others included defensive tackle John Atkins, defensive end Kobe Jones, and offensive lineman Willie Wright.

DT John Atkins, DE Kobe Jones, TE Lee Smith and OL Willie Wright are out on the COVID-19 reserve list for the Falcons. Last season, this did not necessarily mean a positive test but could be a close contact situation, too.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) July 27, 2021

As Michael Rothstein reported on Twitter, the moves do not necessarily mean a positive test for the players, so we'll keep an eye on further moves made by the Falcons.

Smith and the others will follow NFL protocols by isolating and attending meetings remotely.

New Falcons head coach Arthur Smith ran a lot of two-tight end sets while he was the offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans.

First round draft pick Kyle Pitts will be the main receiving threat for Atlanta, and Hayden Hurst will likely be the tight end with the second most snaps this season.

While Pitts was drafted to catch the ball, Smith was brought in to do the dirty work: block.

Smith has 64 receptions in his 10 year NFL career, a testament to his ability to find a role in the NFL. He had a career high of 12 catches in 2015 with the raiders and has only had double digit receptions twice.

While not the flashiest name among the skill receivers, Smith was being counted on by the Falcons to fill the role of blocking tight end, so the hope will be that he gets to training camp quickly.