Panthers Signing DL Chris Smith To One-Year Deal

Adam Schefter reports that the Panthers are signing DL Chris Smith to a one-year contract.

He visited with the Panthers on Tuesday, so there was clearly a mutual interest in quickly getting a deal done. Smith will now be located near his family in Carolina. 

The Bengals also brought him in for a visit on Wednesday. (NFLTR) 

Smith, 27, is a former fifth-round pick of the Jaguars back in 2014. He unfortunately lasted just a few months before he was waived a few weeks into the regular season. Jacksonville later added him to their practice squad before eventually calling him up later on in the year.

Jacksonville traded Smith to the Bengals in 2017 in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

After playing out his rookie contract, Smith signed a three-year, $14 million deal with the Browns in free agency in 2018. 

He was released by Cleveland in December and will not count toward the compensatory pick formula. 

In 2019, Smith appeared in nine games for the Browns and recorded one tackle and one pass defense.