Former Panther DE Chris Smith Passes Away

Some very sad news overnight.

According to a report from the Salisbury Post, former Carolina Panthers defensive end Chris Smith passed away at the young age of 31. The cause of death is unknown.

The Mount Ulla, North Carolina, native was a key member of the West Rowan High School state championship team in 2008. Smith played his college ball at Arkansas where he totaled 122 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss, and 21.5 sacks, leading him to become a fifth-round draft choice of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014.

He went on to play eight years in the NFL, spending time with the Jaguars, Bengals, Browns, Panthers, Raiders, and Texans. He appeared in 72 games throughout his career mainly serving as a rotational defensive end/linebacker while also having a role on special teams. His best season came back in 2017 with the Bengals where he recorded 26 tackles, 9 QB Hits, four tackles for loss, and three sacks.

He signed with the Panthers as a free agent in May of 2020 but was released just two months later, just before the start of training camp.

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