Defensive end Robaire Smith wants to re-sign with Cleveland

Austin, Texas -- Browns defensive end Robaire Smith, who will be an unrestricted free agent when the lockout ends, is participating fully in the full-squad lockout camp here after recovering in February from a bruised spine.

"[Browns linebacker] Scott [Fujita] reached out to me a couple of weeks ago and asked me to come down and be a part of it, which I thought was great," said Smith. "I told him most definitely I'd be there for him, especially coming from a guy like Scott. It meant a lot to me personally. There was no way I was going to turn this down, an opportunity to come here and work out with these guys."

Smith, heading into his 12th season, said he'd love to re-sign with the Browns if they're interested.

"It's something I'm shooting for and that I'd love to do," he said. "[General Manager] Tom Heckert said before the lockout that they'd be interested, but they were waiting to see my medical report. It came out right before the lockout, so there wasn't too much they could say then."

Smith said his neck and spine specialist, Dr. Robert Watkins, cleared him for full football activity in March and that he's been working out hard, even playing in a soccer league. Smith, 33, went on injured reserve in October with the back injury after playing in only five games.

When then-coach Eric Mangini said in a news conference that Smith would have some decisions to make about his future, there was speculation it could be the end of his career.

"It was amazing the way people made it out to be more than what it was," Smith said. "It kind of had me a little upset at first. My doctor never thought it was a big deal right from the start, and I went to three or four people, and they told me the same thing."

The time off, though, has been a gift.

"I feel better than I've ever felt, even coming off my Achilles injury [in 2009]," he said. "My body is just fully, fully recovered. I'm rested, and I feel like a new person. I didn't play those first couple of years in the league, so I have a lot left."

He said he would welcome a chance to play again in the 4-3, which he played for five seasons in Tennessee.

"I think I'm more of a defensive tackle, but I can also play end," he said. "The 4-3 is a little more hit the gaps. I like it."

He also likes coach Pat Shurmur, who was tight ends coach at Michigan State when Smith played there.

"He's a very good coach," said Smith, who drove 160 miles here from his home in Houston. "The players are going to like him."

Article source:

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/07/defensive_end_robaire_smith_wa.html