The NFL lifted its suspension of Smith on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Smith was suspended for 14 games before the beginning of the season for using a banned substance to help with his rehab from a knee injury in 2021. His last full season was in 2020 with the Buccaneers when he registered four tackles in 16 games while playing exclusively on special teams.
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Chargers' Ryan Smith: Placed on IR
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Smith (knee) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.
Smith's move to IR was expected since he recently sustained a torn ACL. The 28-year-old totaled five tackles (four solo) across four appearances in 2021.
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Chargers' Ryan Smith: Lands on IR
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The Chargers placed Smith (undisclosed) on injured reserve Tuesday, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Smith dealt with a core muscle injury early in training camp and then spent time on the COVID-19 list, but his current health concern is unknown. The 28-year-old is eligible to return from IR after Week 3 of the regular season. The rookie Asante Samuel will likely step in as the primary backup behind Chris Harris and Michael Davis while Smith is sidelined.
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Chargers' Ryan Smith: Placed on COVID-19 list
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Smith was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday, Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register reports.
Smith has been dealing with a core muscle injury recently that forced him to miss Saturday's preseason opener against the Rams, and he'll now have to spend some time away from the team due to the league's health and safety protocols. It's not yet clear whether the 2016 fourth-rounder has tested positive for COVID-19, but he'll likely miss Sunday's exhibition matchup against the 49ers.
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Chargers' Ryan Smith: Heads to L.A.
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Smith signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Chargers on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Smith spent the last five seasons in Tampa Bay, but he hasn't handled a defensive role since the 2018 campaign. Last year, the 27-year-old cornerback recorded four tackles on special teams over 16 games. Smith is expected to serve a similar role in 2021.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Smith: Suspended four games
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Smith received a four-game suspension from the NFL on Wednesday for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Smith played all 16 games last season, shifting in and out of the starting lineup depending on the health of Tampa Bay's other cornerbacks. Greg Auman of The Athletic believes the suspension could jeopardize Smith's place on the 53-man roster, but the 25-year-old will at least be able to participate in training camp and preseason games to make his case.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Smith: Four tackles in opener
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Smith totaled four solo tackles, defensed a pass, and recovered a fumble during the Buccaneers' 48-40 win over the Saints in Week 1.
Smith ultimately logged 44 snaps on defense and 17 additional on special teams on a very busy afternoon. The 25-year-old could have plenty of similar weeks ahead of him in the immediate future if starting cornerback Vernon Hargreaves' shoulder injury is as serious as feared. The 2016 fourth-round pick proved to be a solid tackler from the cornerback position last season -- registering 62 stops (51 solo) while also forcing three fumbles and recovering one over 15 games -- while also defending five passes, so there could be some deep-league IDP value there if he's in for a multi-week stint as a starter.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Smith: Practices fully Thursday
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Smith (ankle) was a full participant at the Buccaneers' practice Thursday, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Smith was inactive for last Sunday's loss to the Panthers and started the week as a limited participant. Friday's practice session should provide further clarity, but at this point the 24-year-old appears on track to be available for the regular-season finale against the Saints.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Smith: Elevated tackle total in defeat
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Smith compiled eight solo tackles in Sunday's 34-20 loss to the Falcons.
Smith drew another start with Vernon Hargreaves (hamstring) still sidelined, and he was able to parlay the opportunity into the second-highest tackle total of his young career. The second-year defensive back has proven he can wrap up consistently, but he hasn't been nearly as successful in getting his hands on the ball. Smith has just three passes defensed and no interceptions this season and has seen plenty of playing time recently on a unit that was torched by Julio Jones for 253 yards Sunday and that allows a league-high 285.0 passing yards per contest.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Smith: Ties for team lead in tackles Friday
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Smith totaled five tackles (four solo) in Friday's 23-12 preseason loss to the Bengals. He also returned one kickoff for 17 yards.
The second-year defensive back was projected to see plenty of time Friday with Brent Grimes (lower leg) sitting out, and that indeed proved to be the case. Smith started the contest with the first-team defense, pushing Bengals running back Jeremy Hill out of bounds on Cincinnati's first play from scrimmage and compiling four more stops. Smith is also in contention for a kick returner spot, a role that, when combined with a possible nickel corner job, could give him some fantasy value in deep formats that factor in return yards.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Smith: Working at corner in OTAs
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Smith, who exclusively played safety during his 2016 rookie campaign, has been working as an outside corner during OTAs, Joe Kania of Buccaneers.com reports.
The second-year man has been benefiting from the reps by all accounts, with head coach Dirk Koetter noting that he's seen improvement in Smith's play since the start of OTAs. For his part, Smith is embracing the move, particularly because he feels that corner is his natural position. He's received extra work when Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves have had to miss sessions, which should prove helpful by the time the season arrives. In addition to the increased defensive responsibilities he's projected to see this season, Smith is also a candidate to fill the departed Russell Shepard's old gunner role on the punt team and is also seeing work as a kickoff returner.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Smith: Active for Sunday's game
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Smith (shoulder) is active for Sunday's game against the Chargers.
Smith practiced in full Friday, so the expectation was that he was going to suit up for Week 13. Look for him to serve as the Buccaneers' backup free safety and factor into their return game.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Smith: Active for Sunday' game
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Smith is active for Sunday's matchup with the Rams.
Smith will make his regular-season debut after nursing a hand injury the first two weeks of the season. While he is active, look for his snaps to be closely monitored as the Buccaneers would hate to have the safety aggravate the injury.
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Buccaneers' Ryan Smith: Questionable for Sunday
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Smith (hand) is considered questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams, Roy Cummings of WFLA News Channel 8 reports.
Smith could make his season debut Sunday after sitting out the Buccaneers' first two games due to the hand injury. If he's unable to play once again, Keith Tandy will be the primary backup at safety behind starters Bradley McDougald and Chris Conte.
