Atlanta Falcons Sign Former Pitt OL

The Atlanta Falcons signed a former Pitt Panthers offesnive lineman, who recently played in the United Football League

Nov 19, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Qadree Ollison (37) and offensive lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith (55) celebrate a touchdown by Ollison against the Duke Blue Devils during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh won 56-14. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers offensive lineman has played for a number of teams in his career and will add another, as he signed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons, according to Aaron Wilson.

#Falcons signing veteran offensive lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith per a league source @KPRC2

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 18, 2024

Jones-Smith arrived at Pitt as a three-star recruit by way of West Catholic High School in Philadelphia, a short drive from his hometown of Camden, N.J. 247Sports rated him as the No. 36 recruit in Pennsylvania and the No. 113 offensive tackle in the Class of 2013.

He redshirted as a true freshman, then played all 13 games in 2014, starting three contests at left tackle against Virginia, Syracuse and Miami.

Jones-Smith suffered an offseason knee injury that kept him out of the 2015 season entirely. He did return in 2016, playing in eight games and starting one contest against Villanova in the season opener.

He saw the most action in his collegiate career in 2017, when he played in all 12 games and started nine of them. He also earned a selection to play in the East-West Shrine Game and finished his Pitt career playing in 33 games and starting 13 of them.

Jones-Smith has spent time with a number of NFL teams, including the Houston Texans in 2018, Miami Dolphins in 2019, San Francisco 49ers in 2019 and 2020, Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, Baltimore Ravens in 2021 and the Washington Commanders in 2023.

He only made appearances for the Raiders and the Ravens, playing three games each for the Raiders in 2020 and the Ravens in 2021.

He also played with the San Antonio Commanders in the defunct Alliance of American Football in 2019 and the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL in 2023 and United Football League in 2024.

Jones-Smith served as one of the better linemen in the leagues the past two seasons, earning All-XFL Team honors in 2023 and All-UFL Team honors in 2024.

He will look to earn some playing time in the NFL with the Falcons, showing that he is much more than just successful at the UFL level.

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