Chris Smith (born February 11, 1992) is an
American football defensive end who is a free agent. He was drafted by the
Jacksonville Jaguars 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 ...
. Smith has also played for 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
and
Cleveland Browns. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Arkansas.
Early years
Smith attended
West Rowan High School
West Rowan High School is a Public high school, public, Coeducation, co-educational secondary school located in Mount Ulla Township, Rowan County, North Carolina, Mount Ulla, North Carolina. It is one of seven high schools in the Rowan-Salisbury Sc ...
in
Mount Ulla, North Carolina
Mount Ulla Township is one of fourteen townships in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States. It is currently the smallest township in Rowan County by population.
Geography Disambiguation
Mount Ulla may refer to several geographical entities ...
. 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
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 ...
by the
Jacksonville Jaguars. The pick that was used to select Smith was acquired in a trade that sent
Eugene Monroe
Eugene Christopher Monroe (born April 18, 1987) is a former American football offensive tackle who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Selected eighth overall in the 2009 NFL draft, he spent the early years of his pro ca ...
to the
Baltimore Ravens.
He was released by the Jaguars on September 13, 2014. Two days later, he was then 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
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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
in exchange for a 2018 conditional draft pick. Smith was brought in to help a Bengals defense that finished 19th in the league in sacks the previous season. He played in all 16 games, recording a career-high 26 tackles and three sacks.
Cleveland Browns

On March 14, 2018, Smith signed a three-year contract with the
Cleveland Browns. 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 just one tackle.
Carolina Panthers
On March 5, 2020, Smith signed a one-year contract with the
Carolina Panthers. On July 30, 2020, Smith was released by the Panthers.
Smith had a tryout with the
Las Vegas Raiders on August 23, 2020.
Las Vegas Raiders
Smith was signed by the
Las Vegas Raiders on August 24, 2020. He was released on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next 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,
Cleveland Browns,
Los Angeles Chargers, 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
, 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
Baltimore Ravens. He was released on August 31, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on October 19, 2021.
Houston Texans
On September 3, 2021, Smith was signed to the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 23, 2021.
Personal life
On September 11, 2019, Petara Cordero, Smith's girlfriend and the mother of one of his three children, was killed after being struck by a passing car after exiting Smith's car, which had become disabled after hitting a median.
References
External links
Arkansas Razorbacks bioJacksonville Jaguars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Chris
1992 births
Living people
People from Salisbury, North Carolina
Players of American football from 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