The New Orleans Saints opened up a couple of roster spots on Saturday, following their preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings. On Sunday, one of those vacancies was filled by free agent fullback Shane Smith. Herbie Teope of The Advocate first reported the signing.
Smith signed with the New York Giants in 2017, and initially made it through cuts before being shifted between the 53-man roster and the practice squad throughout the season. He was waived in September last year and had been a free agent since. He showcased an interesting skills set in college at San Jose State, making much more of an impact as a receiver (catching 21 passes for 225 receiving yards) than a runner (logging 8 carries for 18 rushing yards).
Zach Line can probably expect to hold down the starting job at fullback for another year; the Saints signed veteran Michael Burton earlier this summer to compete with him, but Burton has missed most of training camp with an undisclosed injury. Smith should at least push Line for snaps with the offense during practice.
