Per his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, Seattle Sea Dragons defensive end Chris Smith passed away earlier this week at the age of 31. The cause of death is not known at this time.
Smith signed with the Sea Dragons on March 9th and most recently played in Seattle’s Week 8 matchup versus the D.C. Defenders. He was known by his peers as a fantastic teammate and one of the best all-around people you’d ever meet.
Smith played his college ball at Arkansas before getting selected in the 5th round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He turned that opportunity into an 8-year NFL career, spending three seasons with the Jaguars (2014 – 2016) and holding stints with the Cincinnati Bengals (2017), Cleveland Browns (2018-2019), Carolina Panthers (2020), Las Vegas Raiders (2020), Baltimore Ravens (2021), and Houston Texans (2021).
Smith appeared in 72 NFL games throughout his career, totaling 80 tackles (54 solo /26 assisted), 11 sacks, 6 QB hits, and 4 forced fumbles. In 5 games with the Seattle Sea Dragons, Smith totaled 5 tackles (2 solo/ 3 assisted) and 2 QB hits.
I and everyone at XFL News Hub send our deepest condolences to Smith’s family and friends in this awful time.
