When the Houston Texans reduced their preseason roster to the regular-season limit of 53 active players on Tuesday, the NFL team placed tight end Irv Smith Jr. on injured reserve.
The designation puts the former Alabama pass-catcher in danger of missing another NFL season. Placed on IR because of a sprained ankle, Smith will be able to play in the 2025 season only if he is released by the Texans with an injury settlement, then finds a team that will sign him once he regains his health.
An injury settlement occurs when the team and player agree on how long the injury would likely keep him sidelined. The player gets the portion of his salary for those weeks, then is released from injured reserve, leaving the team.
This season, the NFL is allowing each team to designate two players on injured reserve for return during the season without being on the initial 53-man roster. Houston did that with safety Jaylen Reed, who will have to miss at least the first four games by starting the season on IR, but will be eligible to play for the Texans this season.
Houston did not do that with Smith, who was placed on what is commonly referred to as season-ending IR.
A second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2019 NFL Draft, Smith had 66 receptions for 676 yards and seven touchdowns in 29 games in his first two NFL seasons.
But Smith missed the entire 2021 season because of a torn meniscus, and he missed nine games in 2022 because of a sprained ankle.
In the past two seasons, Smith played in 12 games with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023 and five regular-season and two playoff contests with Houston in 2024. He had 19 receptions for 117 yards and one touchdown in those games.
Smith re-signed with the Texans on April 21.
Smith started Houston’s preseason finale and played 15 offensive snaps. In the 26-7 victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday, tight ends Luke Lachey and Harrison Bryant played 38 and 35, respectively, for the Texans, and neither survived the cut to the regular-season roster limit on Tuesday.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.
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