Getty Saivion Smith celebrates a big play during a 2021 Lions game.
Not all free agency returns come with fanfare, but the Detroit Lions are bringing back a player who might have one of the better stories in the league.
Saivion Smith went down with a neck injury against the New England Patriots, but has rallied enough to be re-signed by the team, a move which was revealed on Monday, April 17.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweeted out the news that Smith would be coming back to the team on a new deal, something which is remarkable given where things stood the last time Smith was on a football field.
The Lions have resigned DB Saivion Smith, who was taken off the field by ambulance after a scary incident in New England last year. Amazing recovery.
“The Lions have resigned DB Saivion Smith, who was taken off the field by ambulance after a scary incident in New England last year. Amazing recovery,” Birkett tweeted.
Smith went down with injury in Week 5, and at first blush, it appeared as if his road back to football was going to be a long and grueling one. Instead, though, Smith was able to have surgery and has recovered.
Initially, doctors predicted a five month recovery time for Smith. The injury played out on October 26 with the subsequent surgery happening on November 8, which means Smith should theoretically be on track for a return once the Lions get their offseason workouts going.
Now, Smith will be back to add to the depth of a renovated Lions’ defensive backfield for 2023.
Saivion Smith Suffered Injury in 2022
During the 2022 season, Smith suffered one of the scarier injuries prior to the situation with Buffalo Bills defender Damar Hamlin playing out.
In an October game against New England, Smith appeared to bump into Patriots’ tight end Hunter Henry. After the collision, Smith went down and didn’t get up. Dov Kleiman showed a close-up of the play in question as it happened:
Here’s what happened to Smith earlier.
Eventually, the ambulance had to come out for Smith, who was put on a backboard and loaded in. Members of his family joined him on the ride, and the game was delayed for a considerable amount of time as the situation played out.
Quickly, though, Smith was revealed to have movement in his extremities and later underwent neck fusion surgery. That procedure was successful, and later, Smith explained to Dave Birkett in a Free Press piece from 2022 the scare he felt when going through the situation.
“I couldn’t even think about, you feel me, nothing except for like, ‘Damn, am I ever going to be able to play again and can I walk again and talk again?'” Smith said to Birkett. “All this (expletive), and all that was going through my head within like 20 seconds. But I feel fine now, so thank God.”
With the scare behind him, Smith can now focus on continuing his career with the Lions, which is very amazing to note.
Saivion Smith’s Stats & Highlights
Smith came into the league in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama, and started his career in Jacksonville where he was an offseason member of the team.
He managed to stick with Dallas in 2020, seeing a spot on the roster. After that, Smith landed with Seattle and Denver, and was most recently with San Francisco having just been promoted to the active roster on December 11 of 2021.
Though Smith has seen time on a roster, he only has 3 total tackles in the league to his credit, meaning he is looking to make a much bigger impression this time around. In addition to his NFL experience, Smith has played in the XFL with the Houston Roughnecks.
Here’s a look at some highlights from college:
Smith had a decent career with the Crimson Tide, putting up 60 total tackles and 3 interceptions in 2018. Getting his biggest NFL shot with the Lions, Smith has played in one game with one start and one tackle.
Back healthy for 2023, he will be looking to expand upon those numbers and prove he can be a key part of the team’s renovated defensive backfield.