Antonio Smith

Smith will return as the starter at defensive end in Houston's 3-4 alignment, opposite J.J. Watt. Playing opposite Watt, who requires a lot of attention, has its advantages. Smith had a career-high seven sacks in 2012.

Starting a right defensive end, Smith is coming off a career-high in sacks last season with 6.5 and is likely to have his share again this season.

Smith is expected to start at defensive end in Houston's new 3-4 defense, though we could see him move inside on passing downs when the Texans get more edge rushers in the game. He's been very durable, not having missed a game in five years, and is averaginig nearly four sacks a year in his six-year NFL career.

Smith will start at defensive end and move inside to tackle on passing downs.

Smith is a prized free agency addition for Houston, but there might not be much to see here. Smith turned up the heat in the playoffs for Arizona but otherwise has just 14.5 sacks in three seasons. He lacks the explosive athleticism normally sought in defensive ends, so the team will try to play him off as a DT tweener, even though he barely weighs over 270 pounds.

After setting a career high with 5.5 sacks in 2008, Smith should enter this season as a clear-cut starter. The Cardinals' defensive unit battled numerous injuries last season and Smith was still productive. His value will rise if his teammates can stay healthy and share the burden.

Smith enters training camp as Arizona's starting right defensive end. A spot opened for him because the Cardinals moved two traditional defensive ends to linebacker as part of their new 4-3/3-4 hybrid scheme. Smith looked capable in eight starts last year and has the inside track to a full-time role this season.

Second-string defensive end. You'll only want to look at Smith if Bertrand Berry or Chike Okeafor is sidelined for a significant amount of time. Last season, Smith played in 11 games, eight of them as a starter in place of an injured Berry. He had 14 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble.

Smith, the team’s fifth round pick in 2004, was a two-year starter at Oklahoma State after transferring from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, He recorded two-year totals of 60 tackles (30 solos), 8.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 7 quarterback pressures and 3 pass deflections in 24 college games. He begins 2004 as a depth end, but the team’s priority is to get more pressure from the outside and he could emerge as a decent rush-end later in the year or 2005.