Brandon Smith

Brandon Smith (born December 10, 1998) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and has also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals in the NFL and the DC Defenders of the XFL and later the United Football League (UFL).

Early life Smith was born on December 10, 1998, in Lake Cormorant, Mississippi. He attended Lake Cormorant High School where he was a three-year letterman in football and won four letters in track and field. A wide receiver in football, he totaled 78 receptions for 1,382 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior. Then, as a senior, he caught 80 passes for 1,509 yards and 19 touchdowns, finishing his stint with the team having made 206 receptions for 3,672 yards and 41 touchdowns.

Smith was first-team all-conference as a sophomore, first-team all-state as a junior and senior, and was the 5A Region I Most Valuable Offensive Player of the Year in both his junior and senior years.

College career As a freshman at Iowa in 2017, Smith appeared in 10 games, catching three passes for 15 yards, although he had a costly fumble in their game against Michigan State which led to a 17–10 defeat. He saw more playing time as a sophomore in 2018, starting 12 games and recording 28 receptions for 361 yards and two touchdowns. As a senior in 2020, he made 23 catches for 231 yards and two touchdowns. Although he had a remaining year of eligibility, Smith opted to declare for the NFL draft following the 2020 season and concluded his collegiate career having made 88 receptions for 1,031 yards and nine touchdowns.

College Year Team GP Receiving Rec Yds Avg TD 2017 Iowa 10 3 15 5.0 0 2018 Iowa 12 28 361 12.9 2 2019 Iowa 9 37 439 11.9 5 2020 Iowa 8 23 231 10.0 2Career 39 91 1,046 11.5 9

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys After going unselected in the 2021 NFL draft, Smith signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent. He played in all four of the team's preseason games and caught seven passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. He was waived by the Cowboys on August 31, 2021, then re-signed to the practice squad the following day. He was added to the practice squad COVID-19 reserve/injured list on December 27, then activated on December 29. Smith was signed to a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys after the season, on January 17, 2022. Smith was released from the practice squad on January 30, 2023. He appeared in eight games, none as a starter, for the Defenders, catching eight passes for 118 yards and a touchdown while also returning 10 kickoffs for 218 yards with a long return of 37. He also scored one two-point conversion attempt. He appeared in two preseason games for the Cardinals, catching one pass for six yards.

DC Defenders (second stint) Smith returned to the DC Defenders for the 2024 season, which they played in the newly-formed United Football League (UFL). In the preseason, he played in three games and caught five passes for 120 yards. He was placed on the practice squad injured list on September 27, then later activated from the list. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets on January 6, 2025.

On August 26, 2025, Smith was waived by the Jets as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 25, but released three days later and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on December 2.

New England Patriots On December 23, 2025, Smith was signed to the New England Patriots' practice squad. He was released by New England on January 13, 2026.

Pittsburgh Steelers On January 15, 2026, Smith signed a reserve/futures contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.