Browns Waive DE Chris Smith, Sign DT Justin Zimmer From Falcons PS

According to Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns have waived DE Chris Smith on Tuesday. 

The Browns announced they also signed DT Justin Zimmer off of the Falcons practice squad. Cleveland also released S A.J. Howard from the practice squad and signed DE Trevon Young. 

Smith had signed a three-year deal last offseason to join the Browns, but had primarily played a backup role in nine games this season. 

Smith, 27, is a former fifth-round pick of the Jaguars back in 2014. He unfortunately lasted just a few months before he was waived a few weeks into the regular season. Jacksonville later added him to their practice squad before eventually calling him up later on in the year.

Jacksonville traded Smith to the Bengals in 2017 in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

After playing out his rookie contract, Smith signed a three-year, $14 million deal with the Browns in free agency in 2018. 

In 2019, Smith has appeared in nine games for the Browns and recorded one tackle and one pass defense.

Zimmer, 25, originally signed on with the Bills as an undrafted free agent out of Ferris State back in 2016. He lasted just a few months in Buffalo before he was waived at the start of the season.

The Saints later signed Zimmer to their practice squad towards the end of the 2016 season and brought him back on a futures contract a month later. Unfortunately, the Saints waived Zimmer last year and sat out the entire 2017 season.

Zimmer signed on with the Falcons in 2018 and he managed to make their 53-man roster coming out of the preseason. He bounced on and off the active roster during the season before being waived and brought back on the practice squad in 2019.

In 2018, Zimmer has appeared in one game for the Falcons.