On Monday, at the age of 31, Chris Smith, a former NFL defender, died in a tweet published Monday night. Smith’s agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed the news on a tweet.
The cause of his death is unknown.
Smith played eight seasons in the NFL after the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him in the fifth round of Arkansas’ 2014 draft. He played three years in Jacksonville before the Jaguars traded him to the Bengal in 2017.
Jaguars, Browns and some of Smith’s former teammates posted sincere messages on social media when they heard the news, including stingy midfielder Derek Carr, Browns David Njoku and Buffalo Bills (who played Smith in Houston).
Smith started two games against the Browns in the 2018 season. In the 2019 season, Smith’s girlfriend was stabbed to death by a driver in a traffic accident. She was a passenger in Smith’s car and left the car after a tire malfunction and crashed into the center. You just had a daughter.
Smith returned to the NFL in 2020, playing eight games with the Raiders.
He played at the University of Arkansas.