FOXBORO, Mass. -- The New England Patriots made a pair of roster moves at the wide receiver position yesterday. They re-signed wide receiver Jonathan Smith and waived former practice squad standout Bam Childress from the active roster.
Smith was released by the Buffalo Bills and claimed off of waivers by the Patriots on September 3, 2006. New England then released him on September 9th, just the day before their season opener against Buffalo. Smith was seen walking the halls of Gillette Stadium, and was reportedly hanging around for a second stint with the team. That opportunity officially arrived yesterday. The 5-foot-10, 194-pound Georgia Tech product was originally selected by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft (214th overall). In the 2006 preseason, Smith caught six passes for 48 yards and led the Bills with six punt returns for 29 yards.
To make room for Smith, the Patriots waived Bam Childress. Childress was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent prior to training camp in 2005 and spent the majority of the season on the team's practice squad. The 5-foot-10-inch, 185-pound Ohio State product was signed to the active roster on December 31, 2005 and played against the Miami Dolphins in The Patriots' regular-season finale. After returning in 2006, Childress was waived a day after the final round of roster cuts (Sept 3), in a strategic move by the team to shield him from waiver claims. He was signed to the practice squad the next day. New England signed Childress to the active roster the same day they released Smith (Sept 9). Childress appeared in the game against Buffalo September 10th.