The New Orleans Saints added another tight end after roster cutdowns on Sunday, claiming fourth-year veteran Stone Smartt for their practice squad.
Smartt, who was given No. 84 when he arrived, joins Treyton Welch on the practice squad after Welch was re-signed by New Orleans on Wednesday. The Saints’ newest tight end brings a winding football path and a little bit of versatility with him.
Smartt is 27 years old and measures 6-foot-4, 226 pounds. He played his college ball at Old Dominion, but his road to the NFL started much earlier as a state championship quarterback at Del Oro High School in California. He was recruited to play quarterback at Northern Arizona, transferred to River City Community College after one year with limited action, then earned JUCO All-American honors before landing at Old Dominion.
At Old Dominion, Smartt played quarterback in 2019 and completed 57.1% of his passes for 1,006 yards, with one touchdown and six interceptions. He also ran for 181 yards and five scores. By 2021, he had switched to wide receiver and caught 17 passes for 167 yards.
Smartt went undrafted in 2022 and signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, where Brandon Staley was the head coach and Kellen Moore was the offensive coordinator in 2023. Staley, of course, is now the Saints’ defensive coordinator, while Moore is the head coach in New Orleans.
His NFL production has grown in small steps. As a rookie in 2022, Smartt played seven games with one start and caught four passes for 17 yards.
In 2023, he appeared in 16 games with three starts and logged a career-high 309 offensive snaps, finishing with 11 catches for 155 yards and his first career touchdown. In 2024, he posted career bests with 16 receptions and 208 yards.
This offseason, Smartt signed with the New York Jets in free agency and played 15 games, catching seven passes for 52 yards. He then signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency this offseason but was released on Aug.
- Three days later, after NFL roster cutdowns, the Saints brought him in.
For now, Smartt is expected to begin 2026 on the practice squad. New Orleans already has Juwan Johnson, Noah Fant, and rookie Oscar Delp at tight end, but Smartt could still carve out a role on special teams. He’s played 445 special teams snaps over the last three seasons, and that athletic profile, along with his quarterback background, gives him some developmental value for the Saints offense.
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