Tanzel Smart has been given the opportunity he has longed for.
After Al Woods was ruled out for the season with an Achilles injury suffered against the Giants, the Jets activated the defensive tackle from the practice squad to the active roster.
Smart jumped up and made his way over to the Jets’ practice facility in Florham Park within 10 minutes after receiving a phone call from his agent.
“It was just a blessing and a long time coming,” Smart told The Post on Thursday. “My wife started screaming, and of course, my daughter’s always happy. But, it’s just amazing to finally get in on the 53-man roster and for them to watch me play.”
Smart, 28, was a big highlight in the team’s feature on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” showcasing his funny moments but also the difficulty for him and his family in finding a secure spot on an NFL roster.
His wife, Jada, was shown often in the series, including at the preseason game against the Giants where Smart suffered a shoulder injury prior to being cut from the roster in August.
“He makes me nervous,” she said.
Smart has been with the Jets since 2020 and has fluctuated between the practice squad and roster the past two seasons.
Smart had previously tried to get his foot in the door with the Bills, Browns and the Rams, who drafted him out of Tulane in the sixth round of the 2017 draft.
“I’m just trying to embrace it and never get on the practice squad again,” Smart said of what the opportunity means to him. “But, that was my time and that was God’s plan for me at that time. Now it’s my time to get on the roster and I just want to be a part of this dominant defense, make plays, and get in where I fit in. Play whatever role they want me to play.”
In the three regular-season appearances he had in 2022, he tallied five total tackles and was on the field for 18, 18 and 13 of the team’s snaps, respectively.
With Woods out, Smart may receive more reps along with Quinton Jefferson and Solomon Thomas, and he said he feels prepared for the possibility.
“When he gets opportunities to play, he makes plays. So I anticipate he makes plays,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said of Smart. “His approach every day is just unmatched as far as his energy, and his focus, and his detail. So happy and fortunate that we have a guy like that on our roster that we can lean on in times like this.”
Smart was welcomed back with open arms by his teammates, including Thomas, who was excited to play again with Smart who is also a skilled chef as seen in the HBO series.
“Having him back on the 53-man roster is amazing,” Thomas told The Post. “It’s where he should be. It’s where he should’ve been from the beginning. It’s what he deserves. It’s what he works for. How good he is. How good his talent is. We’re just happy to have him. Happy to have him playing with us and having to play when it matters. … He’s a guy who means everything to the guys here.
“He has the guys over. He cooked for us and so it’s like team-building, team-bonding. He makes really good crawfish etouffee. … He makes it from scratch.”
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