Smith has been waived by the Cowboys.
Smith signed a future/reserve contract with the Cowboys in January. He saw action for the team in Week 18 and finished with one carry for four yards and a touchdown. It was his first carry in nearly a year. He will now look for a new destination.
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Ito Smith: Sticking with Cowboys
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Smith signed a future/reserve contract with the Cowboys on Monday.
Smith signed with Dallas' practice squad Dec. 8 after spending time on the Cardinals' and Vikings' rosters during the preseason. The fourth-year back was elevated to the Cowboys' active roster once in Week 18 while Tony Pollard was out due to a foot injury. He finished the game with one carry for four yards and a touchdown on his first NFL carry since Week 17 of 2020.
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Ito Smith: Shifts back to practice squad
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Smith reverted to the Cowboys' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Smith was active for the first time this season in Dallas' regular-season finale due to the absence of Tony Pollard (foot). He earned only one carry, but he made it count by plunging into the end zone from four yards away. Smith spent time with the Vikings during training camp before joining the Cowboys' practice squad Dec. 8, and he'll hit free agency at the close of the campaign.
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Cowboys' Ito Smith: Elevated from practice squad
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The Cowboys elevated Smith from their practice squad Saturday.
Smith joined the Cowboys' practice squad in early December and will provide additional depth in the backfield since Tony Pollard (foot) has been ruled out. Smith appeared in 14 games with Atlanta last year but hasn't yet made a regular-season appearance in 2021.
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Ito Smith: Joins Cowboys' practice squad
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Dallas signed Smith to the practice squad Wednesday, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Smith spent the last three seasons in Atlanta, where defensive coordinator Dan Quinn had been head coach. Now the veteran running back, who appeared in 14 games last season, will get a chance to operate as an emergency backfield option for Dallas.
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Ito Smith: Visits with Chargers
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Smith had a visit with the Chargers on Wednesday, NFL reporter Aaron Wilson reports.
It remains to be seen if the visit leads to an opportunity for Smith, be it on the main roster or the practice squad. Los Angeles has three running backs jostling for playing time behind Austin Ekeler, but none of Joshua Kelley, Justin Jackson nor Larry Rountree have managed to grab the backup job by the horns.
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Ito Smith: Gets workout with Panthers
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Smith worked out with the Panthers on Friday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Smith failed to make the Vikings' 53-man roster to begin the regular season, but he's had workouts with Washington and Carolina in September. The 26-year-old was one of four running backs who worked out for the Panthers on Friday after Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) exited Thursday's win over Houston.
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Ito Smith: Works out with Washington
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Smith had a tryout with Washington on Tuesday, independent NFL journalist Aaron Wilson reports.
Smith spent time with both Arizona and Minnesota during camp and was unable to crack either season-opening roster. The 25-year-old had 63 carries for 268 yards and a touchdown while catching 17 passes for 75 yards in 14 games for the Falcons last season, and he continues to look for a new team.
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Ito Smith: Waived by Vikings
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The Vikings waived Smith on Saturday, Craig Peters of the Vikings' official site reports.
Smith was facing an uphill battle to make the roster, especially have just signed Aug. 23. The veteran's unimpressive performance in Saturday's preseason contest against the Chiefs sealed his fate, as Minnesota has quite a bit of depth at running back. With teams trimming their rosters down to 53 players ahead of the regular season, Smith may be running out of options to sign elsewhere.
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Vikings' Ito Smith: Limited to 35 yards on 11 touches
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Smith took 10 carries for 27 yards and caught one pass for eight yards in Friday's preseason loss to Kansas City.
Waived by the Falcons in April and the Cardinals in August, Smith came to Minnesota as a long shot to earn a Week 1 roster spot. It now appears even more unlikely after undrafted rookie A.J. Rose capped off his big preseason with a pair of touchdowns Friday night. Rose himself may not even make the team, as Minnesota also has Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison (undisclosed), rookie fourth-round pick Kene Nwangwu (knee) and special teamer Ameer Abdullah.
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Vikings' Ito Smith: Signs in Minnesota
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The Vikings signed Smith on Monday, Chad Graff of The Athletic reports.
Smith had a brief stint with the Cardinals after having been let go by the Falcons back in April. He now will get a chance in Minnesota while Kene Nwangwu (knee) sits out the rest of the preseason due to injury. A.J. Rose and Smith look to be in competition for the No. 5 backfield role.
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Ito Smith: Parts way with Cards
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The Cardinals waived Smith on Monday.
Smith spent a little more than a week in Arizona and got on the field in the team's preseason opener Friday against the Cowboys, earning six snaps on offense on his way to two carries for six yards. With James Conner (toe) back from the reserve/COVID-19 list and Eno Benjamin impressing against Dallas (five carries for 50 yards and one TD), the Cards have decided to part ways with Smith.
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Cardinals' Ito Smith: Sees first action as Cardinal
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Smith gained six yards on two carries in Friday's preseason win over the Cowboys.
Having only signed with Arizona in the last week, Smith didn't get on the field until late in the fourth quarter, gaining 11 yards on his first tote but then losing five on his second carry. The former Falcon is expected to fill a depth role in the backfield behind Chase Edmonds and James Conner (COVID-19 list/toe), a role that could lead to some regular-season volume given Conner's injury history, but second-year back Eno Benjamin had a big game Friday and could wind up being a serious obstacle to Smith securing the No. 3 spot on the depth chart.
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Cardinals' Ito Smith: Joins Arizona
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Smith signed a contract with the Cardinals on Saturday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official sitereports.
It was somewhat surprising to see Smith without a team throughout the entire offseason after being waived by the Falcons back in April, but this ends up being a nice landing spot with the unproven Chase Edmonds and injury-prone James Conner (toe) atop the depth chart. The 25-year-old has essentially been a depth piece throughout his first three years in the league, playing more than 150 snaps every season while simultaneously never exceeding more than 310 in a given campaign, and it's hard to imagine that status changing much in Arizona. Smith has averaged over four yards a carry each of the past two seasons with the Falcons, but he's hardly known as a burner considering he's recorded just two carries of 20-plus yards across 175 totes.
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Ito Smith: Let go by Falcons
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The Falcons have waved Smith.
The move comes in the wake of the team's signing of the versatile Cordarrelle Patterson and quite possibly foreshadows the addition of a second or third-round running back in the upcoming NFL Draft, per Tori McElhaney of The Athletic. Smith finished the 2020 campaign -- his third with the Falcons -- with 268 rushing yards and one TD in 63 rushing attempts, to go along with 75 receiving yards on 17 catches. The 25-year-old now will look to catch on elsewhere as a depth back.
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Falcons' Ito Smith: Ends season with quiet outing
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Smith carried the ball three times for nine yards, adding a seven-yard catch during Sunday's 44-27 loss to the Buccaneers.
Smith was limited throughout the practice week because of a rib injury, providing context for his reduced Week 17 role. Atlanta found itself in a pass-heavy game script facing a significant halftime deficit, but Brian Hill and Todd Gurley still combined for 18 carries atop the Falcons backfield. Smith had been enjoying an uptick in usage in recent weeks, with double-digit carries over three of his five most recent outings entering Sunday. The 25-year-old closes out the year with 268 rushing yards and one TD over 63 attempts, adding 75 receiving yards on 17 catches. He's under contract with the Falcons for one more season at a cap hit of $1.1 million.
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Falcons' Ito Smith: Cleared for Week 17
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Smith (rib) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Jason Butt of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Smith was limited in each of the Falcons' three practices this week, but that was enough for him to gain clearance for the season finale. The third-year back has taken over as Atlanta's lead running back role in recent games, nearly doubling up Todd Gurley in carries (35-19) since Week 13. With Atlanta's playoff hopes having long since disappeared, the team might as well see what it has in Smith, who, unlike Gurley, remains under contract beyond this season. Smith's 4.5 yards-per-carry average on 82 attempts the past two seasons shows the 25-year-old has the ability to be an efficient NFL back. The end zone has eluded him, however, as he has just two touchdowns in 20 appearances over the same span.
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Falcons' Ito Smith: Maintains limited practice activity
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Smith (rib) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.
Smith's rib injury kept him from logging full activity for the second straight day, so the Falcons may want to see him increase his involvement in Friday's practice before signing off on him playing Sunday in Tampa Bay. The 25-year-old has been the leader of Atlanta's backfield committee over the past four weeks, but that role hasn't proven fantasy-friendly. He's failed to score a touchdown in any of those four contests while averaging 40.8 yards from srimmage per game.
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Falcons' Ito Smith: Limited in practice
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Smith was limited in Wednesday's practice due to a rib injury, Jason Butt of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Smith led the Atlanta backfield for a fourth consecutive contest Week 16 against the Chiefs, carrying 10 times for 46 yards. He appears to have injured his ribs in the process, but as long as Smith is able to continue practicing in at least a limited capacity Thursday and Friday, he should have a fair shot at suiting up Sunday in Tampa Bay on Sunday. If Smith is ruled out of the contest, however, Todd Gurley, Brian Hill and Qadree Ollison would likely split work out of the backfield.
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Falcons' Ito Smith: Leads team with 10 carries
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Smith ran for 46 yards on 10 carries, reeling in his only target for a five-yard gain during Sunday's 17-14 loss to the Chiefs. He also fumbled once, but the ball rolled out of bounds.
Smith continued to lead the Falcons backfield in carries during Week 16, just as he had in three consecutive outings entering Sunday's cross-conference showdown. He was inefficient as a rookie in establishing just a 3.5 yards-per-carry average over 90 attempts during 2018, but he's been more effective in 20 appearances the past two seasons. Since Week 11, specifically, Smith is averaging 4.5 yards per attempt. However, he remains with only one total touchdown this season as Atlanta prepares for its 2020 finale against Tampa Bay's No. 1 rush defense.
