The Browns have signed veteran linebacker Malcolm Smith, the Super Bowl XLVIII MVP, announcing the club on Sunday. The signing will help Cleveland address its needs at midfield linebacker after Mack Wilson suffered a hyperextended knee injury last week. Wilson, a starter in his rookie season, is hoping for a recovery schedule of six to eight weeks.
Cleveland is Smith’s fourth team in the last three seasons. He spent last season time with the Cowboys and Jaguars. Smith, after a two-year stint in Oakland, spent the 2018 season with the 49ers.
The 31-year-old Smith spent his first four seasons with the Seahawks. A seventh-round pick in the 2011 draft, Smith got eight starts in 2013, while Seattle helped capture her first Super Bowl win. Smith was named Super Bowl MVP because his Seahawks beat the Broncos; his 10 tackles, fumble recovery and pick-six from Peyton Manning helped Seattle to a 43-8 victory.
Smith spent another year in Seattle, before joining the Raiders, where he was a full-time starter for the first time in his career. In 2014, his first season with the Raiders, Smith set career highs with 122 tackles, four sacks, three forced fumbles and six passing defenses.
In 104 regular-season games (52 starts), Smith has 395 tackles, six sacks, 10 forced fumbles, 17 passing defenses, three fumble wins and four interceptions. In nine playoff games, Smith has tackled 35 tackles, two interceptions, four passing defenses and a fumble recovery.
Wilson joins a Cleveland linebacker corps that includes Wilson, Sione Takitaki, BJ Goodson, Willie Harvey, and rookies Jacob Phillips and Solomon Ajayi. Phillips, who aims to be a Week 1 starter for the Browns, recorded 113 tackles for LSU last fall while helping the Tigers capture the national championship. The Browns also brought their second- and third-round picks to defense, selecting former LSU safety Grant Delpit in the second round and former Missouri defensive lineman Jordan Elliott in the third round. Delpit, like Phillips, is set to be a Week 1 starter.
