Falcons bringing in Saints free agent WR for a visit

The Falcons are bringing in Saints free agent Tre’Quan Smith for a visit, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter.

Terry Fontenot has a connection to Smith, who was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft out of Central Florida. Smith was expected to develop into a WR2 alongside Michael Thomas, but that never came to fruition.

Smith is a bigger, athletic wideout at 6’2” and 210-pounds. He showed glimpses during his rookie season, hauling in three passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns on a Monday night against the then-Redskins. Versus the Eagles in the same season, Smith pulled in 10 receptions for 157 yards and a score.

However, since that promising rookie campaign, Smith hasn’t been what New Orleans had hoped for. Sure, injuries have bogged his development down, but even in 2020, without Thomas in the lineup for much of the year, he was unable to impact games consistently.

Smith did have a career year that season — 34 receptions for 448 yards. However, without Drew Brees and Michael Thomas for all of 2021, Smith showed he couldn’t be that guy. He’s a capable red zone target but isn’t more than a bottom-tier WR2. The Falcons recently have been linked to Jarvis Landry and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, so the front office is sure to add at least one free agent wideout this offseason.