Chris Smith (February 11, 1992 – April 17, 2023) was 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 ...

player who was a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for eight seasons. He played

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for the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...

. Smith was selected by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

in the fifth round of the

2014 NFL draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

. He was also a member of the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

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 ...

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

, and

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

of the NFL and Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL.

Early life

Smith attended West Rowan High School in Mount Ulla, North Carolina. As a senior, he had 98 tackles and 16.5 sacks.

College career

As a true freshman in 2010, Smith played in six games, recording three tackles. As a sophomore in 2011, he played in 13 games with three starts. He had 31 tackles and 3.5 sacks. As a junior in 2012, he started all 12 games, recording 52 tackles and 9.5 sacks. As a senior in 2013, he had 37 tackles and 8.5 sacks in 12 games. As a senior in 2013, Smith was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection.

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

Smith was selected 159th overall in the fifth round of the

by the

. The pick that was used to select Smith was acquired in a trade that sent Eugene Monroe to the

. Smith was released by the Jaguars on September 13, 2014. Two days later, he was signed to their practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on October 20.

Cincinnati Bengals

On April 11, 2017, the Jaguars traded Smith to the

in exchange for a 2018 conditional draft pick. He played in all 16 games in 2017, recording a career-high 26 tackles and three sacks.

Cleveland Browns

On March 14, 2018, Smith signed a three-year contract with the

. He played in 16 games with two starts, recording 21 combined tackles, one sack, two passes defensed, and a forced fumble. On December 3, 2019, Smith was waived by the Browns. He played in nine games, recording one tackle during the season.

Carolina Panthers

On March 5, 2020, Smith signed a one-year contract with the

. He was released on July 30, 2020.

Las Vegas Raiders

Smith had a tryout with the

on August 23, 2020, and signed with the team the next day. He was released on September 5, 2020, and signed to the team's practice squad the following day. He was elevated to the active roster on October 10, October 31, November 7, November 21, and November 28 for the team's weeks 5, 8, 9, 11, and 12 games against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, Cleveland Browns,

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

, Chiefs, and

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 ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was signed to the active roster on December 12, 2020.

Baltimore Ravens

On July 27, 2021, Smith signed a one-year contract with the Ravens. He was released on August 31, 2021, and signed to the team's practice squad the next day. He was released on October 19, 2021.

Houston Texans

On November 3, 2021, Smith was signed to the

' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 23, 2021.

Seattle Sea Dragons

Smith signed with the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL on March 9, 2023.

Personal life

On September 11, 2019, Petara Cordero, Smith's girlfriend and the mother of one of his children was killed after being struck by a passing car after exiting Smith's car, which had become disabled after hitting a median.

Death

Smith died on April 17, 2023, at the age of 31. The cause is still unknown.

References

External links

Arkansas Razorbacks bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Chris 1992 births 2023 deaths Sportspeople from Salisbury, North Carolina Players of American football from Rowan County, North Carolina American football defensive ends Arkansas Razorbacks football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Cincinnati Bengals players Cleveland Browns players Carolina Panthers players Las Vegas Raiders players Baltimore Ravens players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Seattle Sea Dragons players