Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Former NFL defensive end Chris Smith has died at 31, his agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed Tuesday.
No cause of death was released for Smith, who was a member of the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons this season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Smith in the fifth round in 2014 out of Arkansas, where he was a second-team All-SEC selection as a senior in 2013.
He played in 72 NFL games (two starts) and recorded 11 sacks and 80 tackles with the Jaguars (2014-16), Cincinnati Bengals (2017), Cleveland Browns (2018-19), Las Vegas Raiders (2020) and Houston Texans (2021).
During the 2019 season, Smith’s girlfriend, Petara Cordero, was struck and killed by a car while standing on the side of a highway in Cleveland. She had exited Smith’s vehicle after it had a tire malfunction and struck a median. The couple had just had a daughter together.
–Field Level Media