The Jets have added a pair of players who spent 2011 out of the NFL.
The team announced Monday that they have signed defensive end Jay Richardson and safety DeAngelo Smith as free agents. Both were fifth round picks -- Richardson in 2007 with the Raiders, Smith in 2009 with the Cowboys -- but neither one was able to find employment with any team last season.
Richardson started 22 games with the Raiders in his first two seasons and had seven sacks over his three years with the team. He spent part of the 2010 season with the Seahawks and played in seven games with Seattle. Smith failed to make the Cowboys out of training camp and bounced between the Browns, Lions and Bears in 2009. He wound up back on the Browns’ practice squad in 2010 and got cut at the end of camp last year.
Their modest resumes mean that both players will need to make an impression during offseason workouts in hopes of sticking around long enough to get a shot at playing time during training camp.