Willie Junior Smith (born November 13, 1986) is a former

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 ...

. He was signed by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

. 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 ...

for

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university, public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a Normal school, teacher training school, East ...

. He also played for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

and

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. T ...

Professional career

Washington Redskins

2011 season

On July 28, 2011, the

signed Smith as an

. Due to the suspension of

Trent Williams Trent Williams (born July 19, 1988) is an American football offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was recognized as an All-American, and was drafted ...

, he played his first professional game in Week 14 of the 2011 season, rotating the left tackle position with

Sean Locklear Sean Hillary Locklear (born May 29, 1981) is a former American football offensive tackle. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina State University. Locklear ...

. In Week 15 against 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. ...

, Smith would start his first game instead of Locklear. He continued to start as the left tackle for the rest of the 2011 season. Smith has received praise for his ability to defend against elite pass rushers

Jason Pierre-Paul Jason Andrew Pierre-Paul (born January 1, 1989) is an American football outside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Florida and was drafted by the New York Giants in ...

Jared Allen Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Idaho State and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth ...

, and

Trent Cole Trent James Cole Jr. (born October 5, 1982) is a retired American football defensive end and outside linebacker. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles as well his final two with ...

, despite being a rookie.

2012 season

During

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, Smith split snaps at right tackle with

Tyler Polumbus Tyler Polumbus (born April 10, 1985) is a former American football offensive tackle. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In addition to t ...

and

Maurice Hurt Sparrow Maurice "Mo" Hurt, Jr. (born September 8, 1987) is a former American football guard and offensive tackle that played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, and was a member of ...

after

Jammal Brown Jammal Filbert Brown (born March 30, 1981) is a former American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the University of Oklahoma, and received unanimous All- ...

was placed on the

physically unable to perform Physically unable to perform (PUP) is a roster designation used in the National Football League (NFL) for players who suffered injuries during football-related activities prior to the start of training camp. Players on the PUP list may participate ...

(PUP) list. He was released on August 31, 2012 for final cuts before the start of the 2012 season.

Oakland Raiders

On September 1, 2012, Smith was claimed off waivers by the

. On September 27, 2013, he was released.

San Diego Chargers

On November 18, 2013, Smith signed a two-year deal with the

Second Stint with Redskins

Smith re-signed with the Redskins on June 2, 2015. He was released on August 31.

Carolina Panthers

On August 18, 2016, Smith signed with the

. He was released by the Panthers on August 28, 2016.

References

External links

East Carolina Pirates bioOakland Raiders bioSan Diego Chargers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Willie 1986 births Living people Players of American football from North Carolina American football offensive tackles East Carolina Pirates football players Washington Redskins players Oakland Raiders players San Diego Chargers players Carolina Panthers players