Washington Redskins Unheralded Players: FS Maurice Smith
By Ian Cummings
Who is Redskins FS Maurice Smith?
Smith may be Unheralded, but that wasn’t always the case for him.
Smith played cornerback in high school, and was a highly-regarded recruit, earning top-five honors at his position in the state of Texas, one of the most competitive recruiting states. Smith committed to Alabama in 2013, eager to experience the pinnacle of college football itself.
Unfortunately for Smith, his opportunity at Alabama was not a lucrative one. His position was insulated with talent above him, and for three years, he served as little more than a special teams contributor and depth player.
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After accumulating 38 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, five pass deflections, and a forced fumble in three seasons with the Crimson Tide, Smith transferred within the conference, opting to play his final season as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs.
Smith was surprisingly named one of Georgia’s team captains in his lone season with the squad, and in that season, he surpassed almost all of the numbers he’d logged in three years as a member of the Tide. In 2016, his one and only season in Athens, Georgia, Smith amassed 50 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, two interceptions, three pass deflections, and two forced fumbles, while playing in a career-high 12 games.
Smith’s late collegiate success wasn’t enough for him to gain traction in the scouting community, however. He was not awarded an invite to the 2017 NFL Combine, and he ultimately went undrafted, signing on with the Miami Dolphins as a free agent.
From 2017 to the start of 2019, Smith bounced between the Dolphins’ active roster and the practice squad, appearing in 13 total games and logging two pass deflections. During final cuts in 2019, he was released by Miami for good, and he went without a team until the Redskins signed him to their practice squad on October 14. Smith would eventually be promoted to the active roster, where he would play the final two games of the 2019 season, starting in Week 17. Now, he’s on a futures contract — a representation of what might be his last NFL chance.