Eric Maurice Smith Jr. (born September 2, 1995) 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 with ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

who is currently a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

High school career

Smith attended Columbia High School in

Decatur, Georgia Decatur is a city in, and the county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, which is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 census, the municipality is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple ZIP Codes in ...

, where he was a three-star prospect. He committed to attend the University of Virginia in 2012.

College career

Smith started in 32 games at the right tackle position for Virginia. He graduated with a B.A. degree in May 2017.

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Smith signed with 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 pla ...

as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2017. After an impressive preseason, Smith made Miami's 53-man roster as a backup right tackle. He was placed on injured reserve on October 3, 2017. He was activated off injured reserve to the active roster on December 20, 2017. On September 1, 2018, Smith was waived by the Dolphins.

New England Patriots

On September 3, 2018, Smith was signed to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

' practice squad.

New York Jets

On December 18, 2018, Smith was signed by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

off the Patriots practice squad. He was waived on August 31, 2019.

New York Giants

On September 1, 2019, Smith was claimed off waivers by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. On September 5, 2020, Smith was waived by the Giants.

Dallas Cowboys

On September 9, 2020, Smith was signed to the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on September 19 and September 26 for the team's weeks 2 and 3 games against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

and

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on January 4, 2021. On August 31, 2021, Smith was waived by the Cowboys.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 7, 2021, Smith was signed to the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cardinals on January 19, 2022. He was waived on August 4, 2022.

New York Giants (second stint)

On August 7, 2022, the

signed Smith. He was waived on August 29.

New York Jets (second stint)

On September 6, 2022, Smith signed with the practice squad of the

. He was released on October 18.

Tennessee Titans

On October 24, 2022, Smith was signed to 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 h ...

practice squad. He was released on November 15. He was re-signed to the practice squad six days later. On December 6, the Titans released Smith.

New York Jets (third stint)

On December 14, 2022, Smith was signed to the

' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on January 7, 2023. He was released on May 30, 2023.

References

External links

Virginia Cavaliers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Eric 1995 births Living people Players of American football from Decatur, Georgia Virginia Cavaliers football players Miami Dolphins players New England Patriots players New York Giants players New York Jets players Dallas Cowboys players Arizona Cardinals players Tennessee Titans players