Tight end Irv Smith Jr. had 18 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown in 2023, and he spent the final three weeks of the NFL season as a healthy scratch for the Cincinnati Bengals.

But when the former Alabama standout became an unrestricted free agent on March 13, he didn’t have to wait long to find an NFL team for 2024. Smith had a deal lined up before he even officially became a free agent, and he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on March 17.

Kansas City coach Andy Reid thinks free-agent pickups Smith and wide receiver Hollywood Brown can contribute for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions in 2024 – if they can get on and stay on the field.

“I think it’s really important for both these guys that they keep themselves healthy and rolling,” Reid said, “and that’ll be part of it as we go forward.”

That’s been a challenge for Smith in the NFL.

After joining the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Smith played in every game as a rookie while working in tandem with eight-year veteran and two-time Pro Bowler Kyle Rudolph. Smith had what has turned out to be a career-high 36 receptions in 2019, when he had 311 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions.

Smith missed three games in 2020, when he had 30 receptions for 365 yards and five touchdowns.

In 2021, a torn meniscus caused Smith to miss Minnesota’s entire season.

In 2022, Smith sustained an ankle injury in a 34-26 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 30 and missed the next nine games. Smith returned for the regular-season finale, then played in the Vikings’ 31-24 loss to the New York Giants in the first round of the postseason in his last game for Minnesota.

Last offseason, Smith joined the Bengals in free agency. He missed Cincinnati’s third and fourth games because of a hamstring injury. Smith started the first five games he played for the Bengals. But he started only once after that, and by the end of the year, his role was such that Cincinnati designated him as a game-day inactive for the final three contests.

Reid described Smith as a tight end who “kind of does everything pretty good. He’s a good solid football player. He’s a good receiver, good after the catch, good blocker. Not necessarily the biggest guy but really plays a good physical game, and kind of like what he’s shown in the past.”

Kansas City’ top two tight ends return for the 2024 season – four-time All-Pro Travis Kelce, who had 93 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns in the 2023 regular season plus another 32 receptions, 355 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the playoffs, and Noah Gray, who had 28 receptions for 305 yards and two touchdowns in 2023.

In the week before they reached a contract agreement with Smith, the Chiefs re-signed tight end Gerrit Prince. The former UAB standout was on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad in 2022 and Kansas City’s practice squad in 2023.

Since signing Smith, the Chiefs have added two more tight ends. Kansas City chose Jared Wiley of TCU in the fourth round of the NFL Draft on April 27, then signed Tech Tech’s Baylor Cupp after he was passed over during the draft.

Kansas City’s most frequent offensive formation during 2023 featured one tight end. But the Chiefs used a one-running back/two-tight ends formation at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL (27.7 percent of their snaps) and a one-running back/three tight ends formation at the fifth-highest rate in the league (7.4 percent).

Smith joined Kansas City for a one-year, $1,292,500 contract that included $384,000 of guaranteed money.

In 49 NFL regular-season games, Smith has 109 receptions for 973 yards with 10 touchdowns. He also has four receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown in three playoff contest.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.