The New York Jets have signed defensive end Jay Richardson and safety DeAngelo Smith. The announcements were made by general manager Mike Tannenbaum.
Richardson (6'6", 280) is a former fifth-round pick of the Oakland Raiders in the 2007 NFL Draft. He spent his first three seasons in Oakland, playing in all 48 games before being waived Sept. 10, 2010. He signed with Seattle Nov. 3, 2010 and appeared in seven games with the Seahawks.
For his career, Richardson has appeared in 55 games with 22 starts and has posted 86 tackles, seven sacks and two passes defensed. He did not play in the NFL last season.
Smith (5'11", 200) entered the NFL as a fifth-round selection by Dallas in the 2009 draft. He was waived by the Cowboys following training camp and was claimed by the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 6, 2009, before again being waived and then claimed by the Chicago Bears on Sept. 17. He later joined the Bears practice squad on Oct. 6, 2009, then signed with the Detroit Lions on Nov. 18, 2009, and played the final seven games of the regular season, including one start.
Following the season, he was waived by Detroit on April 27, 2010, claimed by Cleveland the next day, then ultimately was signed to the Browns' practice squad on Sept. 6, 2010. He attended training camp with the Browns in 2011 before being waived on Sept. 4.
