Former NFL player Chris Smith has died at the age of 31, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, confirmed Tuesday, without disclosing the cause of death. Smith was playing this season with the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL.
His NFL career began when the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him in 2014 from Arkansas. 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).
The Cleveland Browns mourned Smith's death on social media. "We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Browns DC Chris Smith," the team posted on Twitter. "Chris was one of the kindest people we've ever had in our organization. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time."
Smith played one XFL game on April 9, recording two tackles in Seattle's 34–33 loss to the D.C. Defenders.
Smith's life was marked by the tragedy he experienced in 2019. His girlfriend, Petara Cordero, died in a car accident shortly after giving birth to the couple's first child. A wheel in Smith's car burst and they crashed into the stocking. Petara Cordero then got out of the vehicle and was hit by another car.
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