TE Alex Smith.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots acquired veteran tight end Alex Smith from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers today in exchange for an undisclosed selection in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Smith, 26, is a veteran of four NFL seasons with the Buccaneers (2005-08). The 6-foot-4-inch, 258-pound tight end was selected by Tampa Bay in the third round (71st overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft out of Stanford. In four seasons with Tampa Bay, Smith played in 58 games with 43 starts and caught 129 passes for 1,252 yards (9.7 avg.) and 11 touchdowns. Last season, Smith played in 14 games with 12 starts and caught 21 passes for 250 yards (11.9 avg.) and three touchdowns.
As a rookie in 2005, Smith finished second on the team with a career-high 41 receptions for 367 yards (9.0 avg.) and two touchdowns while playing in all 16 games with 10 starts. His 41 receptions led all NFL rookie tight ends that season and ranked third among all league rookies, while standing as the highest reception total by a Tampa Bay tight end in 10 years. As a blocker in 2005, Smith helped open holes for running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, who had six 100-yard games and won the NFL Rookie of the Year award. In 2006, Smith played in 14 games with seven starts and finished third on the team with 35 catches for 250 yards (7.1 avg.) and three touchdowns. In 2007, Smith started all 14 games in which he played and finished fourth on the team with 32 receptions for a career-high 385 yards (12.0 avg.) and three touchdowns.
