Dawuane Smoot

Dawuane "D.J." Smoot (born March 2, 1995) is an American professional football defensive end. He played college football at Illinois, and was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has also played for the Buffalo Bills.

Early life Smoot briefly attended Saint Charles Preparatory School but graduated from Groveport Madison High School in Groveport, Ohio. During his high school career, he had 260 tackles and 30 sacks. He committed to the University of Illinois to play college football.

College career Smoot played in seven games as a true freshman at Illinois in 2013, recording eight tackles and one sack. As a sophomore in 2014 he played in all 13 games and had 33 tackles and 2.5 sacks. As a junior in 2015 he started all 12 games, recording 40 tackles, eight sacks and three forced fumbles. On November 29, 2016, Smoot was named Third-team All-Big Ten Conference by the coaches and media.

Professional career Smoot contemplated leaving Illinois after his junior season and received a second round grade for the 2016 NFL draft from the NFL advisory board. He decided to stay for his senior year and was the 24th overall prospect on Todd McShay's big board heading into 2017. He received an invitation to the 2017 Senior Bowl and practiced well throughout the week. He played defensive end for the North, but was held without a tackle as the North were defeated 16-15 by the South. Smoot attended the NFL Combine and completed most of the combine and positional drills, but decided not to perform the bench press. He also participated at Illinois' Pro Day and chose to perform the bench and have another attempt at the vertical.

Jacksonville Jaguars Smoot was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round (68th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft. Smoot made the Jaguars team and played in all 16 regular season games, as well as Jacksonville's three playoff games.

In Week 3 of the 2019 season, Smoot recorded his first two career sacks on Marcus Mariota in the 20–7 win.

Smoot signed a two-year, $10 million contract extension with the Jaguars on March 16, 2021.

On July 21, 2023, after spending four months without a team, the Jaguars re-signed Smoot, who had been rehabbing an Achilles tendon injury he suffered late in the 2022 season. He was placed on the reserve/PUP list to start the 2023 season. Smoot was activated from the PUP list on October 14.

Buffalo Bills On May 3, 2024, Smoot signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills.

Jacksonville Jaguars (second stint) On June 3, 2025, the Jaguars announced they had re-signed Smoot.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles 2017 JAX 16 0 20 14 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2018 JAX 8 0 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2019 JAX 16 0 17 12 5 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2020 JAX 16 7 25 21 4 5.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2021 JAX 16 10 36 22 14 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 2022 JAX 15 0 21 14 7 5.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 2023 JAX 12 0 10 8 2 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2024 BUF 11 4 16 12 4 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 2025 JAX 7 0 10 6 4 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Career 117 21 159 112 47 26.0 0 0 0 0 0 6 7 2 0 0

+ Postseason statistics Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD 2017 JAX 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2024 BUF 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life On October 19, 2021, Smoot helped his wife Aumari deliver the couple's second child at home, after she fell on the way to the hospital. The couple has a two-year old son, Ahmir.