Chris Smith is starting to generate a good amount of interest. The free agent defensive lineman is visiting the Bengals today after meeting with the Panthers yesterday, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). We heard last week that Smith was feeling better and was ready to resume his career after the tragic death of his girlfriend and mother of his child in a car accident, and things are starting to heat up for him.
As Schefter points out there is plenty of familiarity here, as the Arkansas product spent the 2017 season in Cincinnati. He was solid in a rotational role, racking up 26 tackles and three sacks. The strong play earned him a three-year deal with the Browns the following offseason. He returned to play for Cleveland briefly after his girlfriend’s death, but was waived shortly after and it’s unclear if he asked to be.
Since he didn’t finish the season on an NFL roster, Smith doesn’t have to wait for free agency to open and is eligible to sign right away. Originally drafted in the fifth-round by the Jaguars back in 2014, Smith just turned 28 last month. It sure seems like he will be scooped up by someone sooner rather than later.
Best of luck to him. Very tragic.