Former Atlanta Falcons LB signs with Denver Broncos

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – After one season with the Atlanta Falcons, linebacker Andre Smith has found a new home.

After a successful tryout, Smith signed with the Denver Broncos on Thursday, his agency announced via X.

Smith played in 11 games for the Falcons in 2023 and started the Week 14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, making eight tackles. He played 72 percent of Atlanta’s defensive snaps in the season finale against the New Orleans Saints, again recording eight stops.

Smith, 27, finished the season with 19 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed.

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Smith, who now has six years of professional experience under his belt, played heavily on special teams in 2023, recording 211 of those snaps, or 69 percent of Atlanta’s total.

Prior to his time in Atlanta, Smith, a seventh-round pick in 2018, spent the first two years of his career with the Carolina Panthers before being traded to the Buffalo Bills, with whom he remained from 2020 until in the middle of the 2022 season.

A six-game suspension in 2022 due to a violation of the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy ultimately ended Smith’s time in Buffalo. He joined the Tennessee Titans almost a month later and made five appearances, collecting six tackles.

The former University of North Carolina star signed with the Falcons early in OTAs and spent the first two months of the season bouncing between the practice squad and active roster before joining the full-time team on November 7.

Atlanta’s linebacker room consists of Kaden Elliss, Nate Landman, Troy Andersen and fifth-round rookie JD Bertrand, among others, following OTAs and mandatory minicamp.