Falcons' James Smith-Williams: Getting looks in prominent role
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Smith-Williams has been getting first-team reps during training camp, Amna Subhan of the Falcons' official site reports.
Smith-Williams signed with Atlanta in April after spending the first four years of his career in Washington. Originally considered a depth signing after recording a modest 7.0 sacks in 55 career games, the Falcons seem to have higher expectations for the 27-year-old.
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Falcons' James Smith-Williams: Signs with Atlanta
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Smith-Williams signed a one-year deal with the Falcons on Monday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Smith-Williams spent the first four seasons of his career with Washington, where he recorded seven sacks across 55 appearances. In 13 games last season, the 26-year-old logged 22 tackles and one sack. Smith-Williams should add depth at defensive end for the Falcons, and he'll likely slot in somewhere beind starters Ta'Quon Graham, Grady Jarrett (knee), and Zach Harrison (knee).
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Commanders' James Smith-Williams: Records just 1.0 sacks
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Smith-Williams recorded 22 tackles (11 solo) and 1.0 sacks across 13 games (seven starts) in 2023.
The 2020 seventh-round pick became a starter after the Commanders traded away fellow DEs Chase Young and Montez Sweat in October, but Smith-Williams then missed four straight games with a hamstring injury between mid-November and mid-December. When all was said and done, he'd actually recorded fewer snaps, tackles and sacks than in 2022, and now he's scheduled for unrestricted free agency with a resume that suggests he'll be looking for a backup role.
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Commanders' James Smith-Williams: Won't play at Rams
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Smith-Williams (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game at the Rams, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Smith-Williams will miss his fourth straight game Sunday as he nurses a hamstring injury he sustained Week 10 at Seattle. Rookie fifth-rounder K.J. Henry projects to start in his place Week 15.
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Commanders' James Smith-Williams: Won't suit up vs. Dolphins
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Smith-Williams (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game versus the Dolphins, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Smith-Williams will be sidelined for his third straight week Sunday due to a hamstring injury he sustained in Week 10 at Seattle. Rookie fifth-rounder K.J. Henry again projects to start at defensive end in Smith-Williams' place in Week 13.
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Commanders' James Smith-Williams: Won't suit up at Dallas
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Smith-Williams (hamstring) is listed as out for Thursday's game at the Cowboys.
Smith-Williams will miss his second consecutive game in Week 12 as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury he sustained in Week 10 at Seattle. Rookie fifth-rounder K.J. Henry will probably start at defensive end in his place Thursday.
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Commanders' James Smith-Williams: Questionable to return
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Smith-Williams is considered questionable to return to Sunday's game in Seattle due to a hamstring injury.
The severity of Smith-Williams' hamstring injury is uncertain at this time, but his status is up in the air. While he is out, Efe Obada and Andre Jones are candidates to fill in at defensive end.
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Commanders' James Smith-Williams: Out with concussion
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Smith-Williams (concussion) is unavailable to play Sunday versus Cleveland, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Smith-Williams suffered a concussion against the 49ers in Week 16, failing to clear league head injury protocol in time to play this week. In his absence, Shaka Toney and Efe Obada could see slight increases in usage on the defensive line.
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Commanders' James Smith-Williams: Concussion confirmed
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Smith-Williams (concussion) didn't practice Wednesday.
Smith-Williams was evaluated for a head injury during last week's loss to San Francisco and has since been diagnosed with a concussion. If the third-year defensive end doesn't return to practice Thursday, he'll have an uphill battle to be cleared for Sunday's matchup against Cleveland.
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Commanders' James Smith-Williams: Has concussion check Saturday
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Smith-Williams was evaluated for a head injury during Saturday's 37-20 loss at San Francisco.
In the wake of the Commanders' Week 14 bye, Smith-Williams was reported to be in the concussion protocol, but he followed an LP/FP/FP practice regiment during Week 15 prep and didn't have a designation ahead of last Sunday's game against the Giants. He proceed to play 61 percent of the defensive snaps in that contest, and he manned his typical role this Saturday until he seemingly aggravated the head injury on his third-quarter sack of Brock Purdy. If he sustained another head injury, Smith-Williams may be in danger of sitting out Washington's next game on Sunday, Jan. 1 versus the Browns.
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Commanders' James Smith-Williams: Could return soon
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Smith-Williams remains in concussion protocols, but he's expected to return to practice Wednesday or Thursday, Matthew Paras of The Washington Times reports.
Smith-Williams could technically return to practice in limited fashion, even if he hasn't fully completed all the steps in the league's concussion protocols, so it's unclear how close he is to gaining clearance. If he can, he should suit up Sunday against the Giants.
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Commanders' James Smith-Williams: Cleared for Week 4
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Smith-Williams doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's matchup against Dallas, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports.
Smith-Williams was sidelined for the team's Week 3 loss to the Eagles, but it appears he'll be a full-go for Week 4. Across his first two appearances this season, the 2020 seventh-round pick has recorded three tackles and one sack while filling in for Chase Young (knee), who started the season on the PUP list.
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Commanders' James Smith-Williams: Deemed questionable for Sunday
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Smith-Williams (abdomen) is questionable for Sunday's contest against the Eagles, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Smith-Williams landed on the injury report Thursday as a limited participant, and while the severity of the issue remains unclear, he'll likely be a game-time decision Sunday. Casey Toohill (concussion) has been ruled out, so it's possible Washington heads into Week 3 with just two healthy defensive ends -- Shaka Toney and Montez Sweat.
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Football Team's James Smith-Williams: No longer on reserve/COVID-19 list
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Smith-Williams was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday and will be eligible to play Tuesday against the Eagles.
Smith-Williams joins two other Washington defensive ends who were activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday. The imminent return of Montez Sweat (jaw) could mean just a smattering of defensive snaps for Smith-Williams in the immediate future.
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Football Team's James Smith-Williams: Upgrades to full practice
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Smith-Williams (concussion) was a full practice participant Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
It's unknown whether Smith-Williams still technically remains in concussion protocol, but the fact that he improved from limited to full practice participation between Wednesday and Thursday bodes well for his status moving forward. If the seventh-round rookie is able to clear league protocol in time for Sunday afternoon's matchup against the Giants, he could be made active for his sixth appearance of 2020.
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Football Team's James Smith-Williams: Won't play against Cowboys
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Smith-Williams (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Dallas, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Smith-Williams will need to clear the concussion protocol before he can return to game action, and he'll have an extra week to do so with Washington on bye in Week 8 before a Week 9 clash with the NFC East rival Giants.
