Saints head coach Sean Payton believes Smith is ready for a larger role offensively, Christopher Dabe of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. "He's playing well," Payton said Wednesday. "What I mean by that, at practice, training camp...we just to go find ways to get him more touches. He's handling our installation. He knows what we're doing game-plan wise. I think he's ready to prove that."
The rookie third-round pick logged played 12 offensive snaps Week 1 and 22 in Week 2, catching one of two targets for 18 yards while operating as the Saints' No. 4 wide receiver. Payton seems to be hinting at Smith eventually surpassing Austin Carr for the No. 3 role, but the possibility of offseason pickup Cameron Meredith working his way into the equation also needs to be considered. It's still difficult to tell how playing time and targets will be divided behind Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn on a game-by-game basis.