Andre Smith (born April 20, 1997) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football at

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

High school

Smith attended Trinity Christian Academy in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. As a senior, he tallied 65 tackles with 5.5 being for loss. He committed to play football for the North Carolina Tar Heels in October 2013.

College career

Freshman Season

As a true freshman in 2015, Smith played in all of North Carolina's 14 games. He tallied 53 tackles, two being for losses, one interception, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble.

Sophomore Season

In 2016, Smith played in all 13 games, starting 12 of them at middle linebacker. He made 113 tackles, second on the team, along with one interception, one sack, three pass deflections, and one forced fumble.

Junior Season

As a junior in 2017, Smith suffered a knee injury in North Carolina's second game against Louisville, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season. In only two games, he tallied 21 tackles and a 73 yard interception return. After the season, he declared for the 2018 NFL Draft.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

Smith was drafted by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

in seventh round (234th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft, using the 7th round pick acquired from a trade that sent

Kelvin Benjamin Kelvin Benjamin (born February 5, 1991) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He also played for ...

to the Buffalo Bills.

Buffalo Bills

On August 31, 2020, Smith was traded to the Buffalo Bills for a conditional 2023 seventh-round pick. He was waived on September 5, 2020 and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on September 19, October 13, and October 24 for the team's weeks 2, 5, and 7 games against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

and New York Jets, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was promoted to the active roster on October 27. On March 6, 2021, Smith signed a two-year contract extension with the Bills. Smith was suspended the first six games of the 2022 season for violating the league’s policy against performance-enhancing substances. Smith was released from the Bills on October 17, 2022.

Tennessee Titans

On November 15, 2022, Smith was signed to the

practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 29.

Career statistics

References

External links

North Carolina bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Andre 1997 births Living people Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida American football linebackers North Carolina Tar Heels football players Carolina Panthers players Buffalo Bills players Tennessee Titans players