Devin Smith's tenure with the New York Jets was defined by injuries, and now it always will be. The wide receiver's time with the team came to an end on Monday, as he was waived. He'll go down as a significant draft bust, at least for the Jets, and as one who simply couldn't stay healthy enough to make an impact. Where his career goes from here is anyone's guess, but it may already be closer to the end than the beginning.
Waived by the Jets
The Jets made the move to waive Smith on Monday after he tore the ACL in his right knee for the second time in his career.
The exact cause of the injury has been kept under wraps, but the timeline for his recovery suggests that it occurred sometime in mid-April, when the team returned for organized activities. The team signed wide receiver DeShon Foxx to take his place on the roster going forward.
Smith was drafted as the 37th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, expected to become the future of the wide receiver position. He suffered a punctured lung and broke his ribs during his first training camp, forcing him to miss the start of the season. He caught just nine passes in his rookie season before suffering his first torn ACL. The recovery from that injury forced him to miss all but four games last season, in which he only caught a single pass.
Clearly, the Jets are discouraged by his injury problems and were ready to move on in the cold business of the NFL.
Where Smith goes next
His latest ACL injury is expected to force Smith to miss the entirety of the 2017 season. If he clears waivers - as expected - he'll find his way to the Jets' injured reserve, which will be nothing more than a procedural label.
His time in New York is over, and his inability to play next season will greatly threaten an NFL career that is already off the rails. No team will place a claim on him or sign him this season as they wait to see how he recovers from surgery -- if he had shown anything in his career to date, maybe someone would claim him now, but he hasn't.
Meanwhile, the Jets don't really have any enticing options ready to take charge following the departure of Smith. There are some young unheralded prospects, but some have already been faced with off-the-field issues. Eric Decker's recovery from an injury is ongoing. The team also let Brandon Marshall walk to their New York rivals in free agency. Smith may not have been the future for the team at wide receiver, but perhaps the future isn't here yet.
