Ok, here it goes, yes he is primarily a blocking TE and here is why its better than a OT:\
We can use him on running plays...obviously
Yes no one is scare of Lee smith burning you as a receiver, however in 2 TE sets, we can use play action and passing, keeping him in as a blocker and still pass...and if the opponent is keying it a run play because he is in we can simply pass the ball to a SKILL player that is also in the play. Just because he is on the field does NOT mean we wont pass... This can be done via play action or by straight passing plays.
if he is running a route on said passing play someone still has to cover him...
so there is versatility on passing plays as an added blocker or receiver.....I expect to see him as an added blocker and Josh now gets extra time since Lee can block...a secondary benefit is in man coverage a defender has to account for him even when blocking
goaline situations, if we havent used him as a receiver dabol can design plays where he ends up wide open ala butch rolle....5 catches with 4 TDS type receiving production
Cant do that with an extra OT...when we want to go with that front we can bring in an extra OT
so yeah theres value