Getty Former New York Jets wide receiver Vyncint Smith catching some passes ahead of an NFL game.
A former New York Jets specialist got handed his pink slip this week.
Veteran NFL wide receiver Vyncint Smith was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.
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Tough Break
Smith originally joined the Bucs back in January on a reserve/futures contract.
Although Greg Auman of The Athletic said the talented speedster was “facing tough odds” to make the team prior to all of the extra additions at the wide receiver position.
When you sprinkle in guys like Russell Gage, Julio Jones, and a slew of undrafted rookies it seemed inevitable that Tampa Bay would move on from him at some point.
Vyncint Smith signed with the Bucs on a futures deal this spring, but was facing tough odds before they added Russell Gage, then Julio Jones, then the undrafted rookies. Former Jets receiver will look for a shot elsewhere.
The former Limestone product was an undrafted free agent back in 2018 and clawed his way onto the Houston Texans roster for two seasons.
In 2019 the Jets stole him off of their practice squad and he would end up spending the next three seasons in New York.
Gang Green was intrigued by his measurables (6-foot-3, 202 pounds) and impressive track background. Smith ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at his Pro Day paired with an insane 39.5″ vertical jump.
Unfortunately those traits never truly translated to the field as Smith finished with just 18 catches for 238 receiving yards in 22 games of action. He also failed to score a touchdown during his Jets tenure.
Here’s one of Zach Wilson’s (@zachkapono1) interceptions that deflected off of Vyncint Smith into the waiting arms of fellow rookie Jason Pinnock (@Jason_Pinnock). Pinnock was running with the 1’s & has shown some flashes coming out of @Pitt_FB: #Jets 🎥 @nyjets
It is kind of crazy to see what the Jets receiving corps was like a few years ago compared to what they’re operating with today.
Some have argued the Jets have one of the best young groups of receivers in the NFL heading into 2022. While some of those other units that Smith was a part of were often described as one of the worse.
General manager Joe Douglas deserves a major tip of the cap and we’ll have to see if they live up to the hype this season.
More Bad News
Speaking of former Jets, things have gone from bad to worse.
Jordan Jenkins, an ex-Gang Green draft pick, was dumped by the Houston Texans after the initial 90 to 85 roster cutdown.
The former Georgia product quickly set up a workout with the Las Vegas Raiders and signed shortly thereafter.
It seemed like he had a concrete path back to playing time and making an impact on the field.
Unfortunately, that tenure with the Raiders was short-lived as he tore his ACL during their third preseason game versus the Miami Dolphins, per Aaron Wilson of the Pro Football Network.
Jenkins was placed on injured reserve, ending his 2022 season before it ever truly began.
The 28-year-old had been pretty durable throughout his NFL career to date. Jenkins had played in at least 11 games every year since being the No. 83 overall pick in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft.
Now he is set to miss the entire season and will have to attempt an NFL comeback next offseason with a new team. Jenkins’ new contract with the Raiders was only for the upcoming 2022 season.
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