Andre Smith Jr. (born April 20, 1997) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

Early life

Smith attended Trinity Christian Academy in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

. As a senior, he tallied 65

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

with 5.5 being for loss. He committed to play football for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

in October 2013.

College career

As a

true freshman The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

in 2015, Smith played in all of North Carolina's 14 games. He tallied 53 tackles, two being for losses, one

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

, one pass breakup, and one forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

. In 2016, Smith played in all 13 games, starting 12 of them at middle

. He made 113 tackles, second on the team, along with one interception, one

sack A sack usually refers to a rectangular-shaped bag. Sack may also refer to: Bags * Flour sack * Gunny sack * Hacky sack, sport * Money sack * Paper sack * Sleeping bag * Stuff sack * Knapsack Other uses * Bed, a slang term * Sack (band), ...

, three pass deflections, and one forced fumble. As a junior in 2017, Smith suffered a knee injury in North Carolina's second game against Louisville, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season. In only two games, he tallied 21 tackles and a 73 yard interception return. After the season, he declared for the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

Smith was drafted by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

in seventh round (234th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft, using the 7th round pick acquired from a trade that sent

Kelvin Benjamin Kelvin Benjamin (born February 5, 1991) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles football, Fl ...

to the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

Buffalo Bills

On August 31, 2020, Smith was traded to the

for a conditional 2023 seventh-round pick. He was waived on September 5, 2020, and signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on September 19, October 13, and October 24 for the team's weeks 2, 5, and 7 games against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

and

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was promoted to the active roster on October 27. On March 6, 2021, Smith signed a two-year contract extension with the Bills. Smith was suspended the first six games of the 2022 season for violating the league’s policy against performance-enhancing substances. Smith was released from the Bills on October 17, 2022.

Tennessee Titans

On November 15, 2022, Smith was signed to the Titans practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 29.

Atlanta Falcons

On May 15, 2023, Smith signed with the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. He was released on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad. On September 27, 2023, Smith was promoted to the active roster. He was released on October 10 but was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was signed to the active roster on November 7.

Denver Broncos

On June 13, 2024, Smith signed with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

. He was released on August 26.

Career statistics

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Andre 1997 births Living people American football linebackers Atlanta Falcons players Carolina Panthers players Buffalo Bills players Denver Broncos players North Carolina Tar Heels football players Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida Tennessee Titans players