Richard Smith (born October 17, 1955) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach who is the

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 ...

s coach for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

of 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). He has been

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...

for 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 ...

, as well as the

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 ...

and

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 ...

, and a linebacker coach for the

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 ...

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 ...

, and

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

Coaching career

Denver Broncos

Smith was hired by 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 ...

on January 25, 2011.

Atlanta Falcons

When the

hired Smith on January 26, 2015, the Falcons were the worst-ranked defense in passing yards in 2014 prior to his arrival. He was fired by the Falcons after their defensive collapse in

Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confe ...

, with defensive leadership being taken over by head coach Dan Quinn midway through the season.

Los Angeles Chargers

Smith was hired by the

on February 13, 2017, as a

s coach.

Las Vegas Raiders

Smith was hired by the

on January 12, 2021, as a linebackers coach.

Chicago Bears

On February 6, 2025, the

hired Smith as their linebackers coach.

References

External links

:Indianapolis Colts profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Richard 1955 births Living people Arizona State Sun Devils football coaches Atlanta Falcons coaches Cal State Fullerton Titans football coaches California Golden Bears football coaches Denver Broncos coaches Detroit Lions coaches Carolina Panthers coaches Fresno State Bulldogs football players Houston Oilers coaches Houston Texans coaches Indianapolis Colts coaches Las Vegas Raiders coaches Los Angeles Chargers coaches Miami Dolphins coaches NFL defensive coordinators Rio Hondo Roadrunners football coaches Rio Hondo Roadrunners football players San Francisco 49ers coaches Players of American football from Los Angeles Sports coaches from Los Angeles Coaches of American football from California