Carolina Panthers 2020 training camp award winners
By Dean Jones
Biggest Disappointment: Andre Smith – LB
This year’s training camp was a big opportunity for Andre Smith. The linebacker was looking to make a claim on the rotation after playing a solid part on special teams in 2019. But this is something he failed to take advantage of.
The Carolina Panthers were looking for someone to step up and fill the void left by players such as Bruce Irvin and Luke Kuechly. Smith was a prime candidate for this. But he never really got going at camp and was eventually traded to the Buffalo Bills for a conditional seventh-round pick just hours before he was due to hit the waiver wire.
Smith had little time to make an impact in Buffalo and was waived on Saturday. Nobody picked up the former Alabama standout off the wire, so he returned to the organization as a member of their 2020 practice squad.
It’s hard to look at this any other way than a huge disappointment for Smith. Big things were expected of the player heading into camp after making all the right noises in the offseason. Sadly for the player and the Panthers, things did not go according to plan and resulted in the player fighting for his NFL future.