Malcolm Smith

Malcolm Xavier Smith (born July 5, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL draft. Smith was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLVIII in the Seahawks' victory over the Denver Broncos. He also played for the Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, and Cleveland Browns.

Early life Smith attended William Howard Taft High School, where he was a letterman in football and track. In football, Smith was named to the Student Sports Sophomore All-American and Cal-Hi Sports All-State first-team as a sophomore when he had 800-plus yards of total offense and eight touchdowns, plus two interceptions, as Taft won the L.A. City title. As a junior in 2005, Smith made Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass first-team, All-L.A. City first-team and Los Angeles Daily News All-Area first-team while making 41 tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery, plus running for 639 yards on 73 carries (8.8 avg.) with 10 touchdowns and catching 27 passes for 411 yards (15.2 avg.) with seven scores as Taft was the L.A. City runner-up. As a senior in 2006, he had 31 tackles, 10 sacks, and four fumble recoveries at linebacker and ran for 919 yards on 118 carries with 15 touchdowns as a running back, despite missing the first half of the season with a leg injury.

Also a standout track athlete, Smith competed as a sprinter for the Taft High track & field team. He qualified for the Los Angeles City Section T&F Championships in the 100m and 200m dashes. He recorded a personal-best time of 10.8 seconds in the 100-meter dash as a junior, and got a PR of 22.39 seconds in the 200-meter dash as a senior. Smith also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds.

College career

Smith enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC) in order to play college football for the USC Trojans football team. As a true freshman in 2007, Smith played in all 13 games as a backup linebacker and special teams player. He finished the year with six tackles and a forced fumble.

As a sophomore in 2008 he again spent time as a backup and on special teams. He finished the season with 18 tackles in 13 games.

Professional career Pre-draft Smith entered the 2011 NFL Draft, but did not receive an invitation to perform at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. On March 30, 2011, Smith attended USC's pro day and performed all of the combine and positional drills for team representatives and scouts. He also attended private meetings with the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears. Smith was projected to be a sixth or seventh round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Smith was ranked as the 29th best outside linebacker prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and was ranked the 37th best outside linebacker by Scouts Inc.

Seattle Seahawks 2011 season Smith was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round (242nd overall) of the 2011 NFL draft. He was the 30th linebacker drafted in 2011 and was reunited with head coach Pete Carroll. Carroll was Smith's head coach at USC from 2007 to 2009.

On July 28, 2011, the Seahawks signed Smith to a four-year, $2.08 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $45,900. Throughout training camp, Smith competed to be a backup outside linebacker against K. J. Wright, Matt McCoy, and David Vobora. Head coach Pete Carroll named Smith the backup weakside linebacker to start the regular season, behind Leroy Hill.

He made his professional regular season debut in the Seattle Seahawks' season-opener against the San Francisco 49ers and made two combined tackles in their 33–17 loss. Smith made his first career regular season tackle on Ted Ginn Jr. and stopped him for a ten-yard loss during a punt return in the second quarter. On November 13, 2011, Smith collected a season-high four solo tackles, forced a fumble, and made his first career sack during a 22–17 victory against the Baltimore Ravens. Smith forced a fumble by David Reed that was recovered by teammate Atari Bigby and led to a last second field goal before the end of the second quarter. He also sacked Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco for an eight-yard loss in the fourth quarter. Smith was inactive for the last two games of the regular season (Weeks 16–17). He finished his rookie season in 2011 with 16 combined tackles (10 solo), a forced fumble, and a sack in 12 games and no starts.

2012 season During training camp, Smith competed for a roster spot as a backup outside linebacker against Jameson Konz, Allen Bradford, Heath Farwell, Mike Morgan, and Kyle Knox. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley retained Smith as a backup outside linebacker, behind Leroy Hill and K. J. Wright, to begin the regular season. On December 2, 2012, Smith made his first career start and replaced Leroy Hill who was inactive due to an ankle injury. He finished the Seahawks' 23–17 win against the Chicago Bears with two solo tackles. Smith earned an overall grade of 77.0 from Pro Football Focus in 2012.

The Seattle Seahawks finished second in the NFC West with an 11–5 record and earned a wildcard berth. On January 6, 2013, Smith appeared in his first career playoff game and recorded three solo tackles during the Seahawks' 24–14 win against the Washington Redskins in the NFC Wildcard Game.

2013 season Smith with the Seahawks in 2013Smith entered training camp slated as the starting weakside linebacker after the departure of Leroy Hill. Smith received competition from Korey Toomer, Bruce Irvin, Mike Morgan, and Allen Bradford. Head coach Pete Carroll officially named Smith and K. J. Wright the starting outside linebackers to start the season, along with middle linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Smith started in the Seattle Seahawks' season-opener against the Carolina Panthers and made two solo tackles in their 12–7 victory. Smith was sidelined for the Seahawks' Week 3 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars due to a hamstring injury. On October 17, 2013, Smith collected a season-high nine combined tackles, a pass deflection, and a sack during a 34–22 win at the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7. The following week, Smith was surpassed on the depth chart by Bruce Irvin who was named the starting strongside linebacker in his place. Smith became the starting weakside linebacker in Week 15 after K. J. Wright sustained a fractured foot and was sidelined for the last three games of the regular season. In Week 17, Smith made five combined tackles, a pass deflection, and returned an interception for his first career touchdown in a 27–9 win against the St. Louis Rams. He intercepted a pass by Kellen Clemens, that was originally thrown to tight end Lance Kendricks, and returned it for a 37-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Smith finished the 2013 season with 54 combined tackles (34 solo), four passes defensed, a forced fumble, one sack, 2 interceptions, and a touchdown in 15 games and eight starts. Pro Football Focus gave Smith an overall grade of 83.0 in 2013. His grade ranked 16th among the 56th qualifying linebackers in the league. Smith also recovered a fumble by wide receiver Demaryius Thomas in the third quarter after it was forced by teammate Byron Maxwell. His performance earned him the Super Bowl MVP award, making him the first defensive player to win the award since Dexter Jackson in Super Bowl XXXVII. Smith is one of nine defensive players to win Super Bowl MVP honors.

2014 season Smith returned to a reserve role in 2014 after the return of K. J. Wright from injury. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn opted to retain Bruce Irvin, K. J. Wright, and Bobby Wagner as the starting linebacker trio to start the regular season. In Week 7, Smith earned his first start of the season after Bobby Wagner was inactive for five games (Weeks 7–11) due to a turf toe injury. He finished the Seahawks' 28–26 loss at the St. Louis Rams with a season-high ten solo tackles. Smith finished the 2014 season with 38 combined tackles (28 solo), two forced fumbles, and a pass deflection in 14 games and five starts. Pro Football Focus gave Smith an overall grade of 37.3, which marked the lowest grade of his career. On February 1, 2015, Smith appeared in Super Bowl XLIX, but was held without a stat as the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28–24.

Oakland Raiders 2015 season Smith in 2015On March 10, 2015, the Oakland Raiders signed Smith to a two-year, $7 million contract with $3.75 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $2 million.

Head coach and fellow USC alumnus Jack Del Rio named Smith the starting weakside linebacker to start the regular season, along with Ray-Ray Armstrong and starting middle linebacker Curtis Lofton. On October 25, 2015, Smith had a season-high 11 solo tackles, two pass deflections, a sack, and an interception in the Raiders' 37–29 victory against the San Diego Chargers. Smith intercepted a pass by quarterback Philip Rivers, that was originally intended for wide receiver Stevie Johnson, and returned it for a 27-yard gain during the Chargers' opening drive. In Week 16, Smith made a career-high 14 combined tackles (11 solo) during a 23–20 victory over the San Diego Chargers.

Smith started all 16 games in 2015 and made a career-high 122 combined tackles (99 solo), six passes defensed, and four sacks. He also had two forced fumbles and an interception. Smith was inactive for the Raiders' Week 5 win against the San Diego Chargers due to a quadriceps injury. In Week 11, Smith collected ten combined tackles (nine solo), made a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Brock Osweiler during a 27–20 victory against the Houston Texans in Mexico City. On January 1, 2017, Smith recorded a season-high 12 combined tackles (nine solo) as the Raiders lost 24–6 against the Denver Broncos in Week 17. He finished the 2016 season with 103 combined tackles (86 solo), three pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and an interception in 15 games and 15 starts.

San Francisco 49ers On March 9, 2017, the San Francisco 49ers signed Smith to a five-year, $26.5 million contract with $11.5 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $7 million.

Smith entered training camp slated as the starting right outside linebacker, but saw competition from rookie first round pick Reuben Foster. On August 5, 2017, Smith injured his pectoral during a training camp practice held in Levi's Stadium. On August 7, 2017, the San Francisco 49ers officially placed Smith on injured reserve after an MRI determined he had suffered a torn pectoral muscle. He remained on injured reserve throughout the entire 2017 season.

In 2018, Smith appeared in 12 games, tallying 35 tackles (22 solo) and a pass deflection. On August 27, 2019, he was released.

Jacksonville Jaguars On October 22, 2019, Smith was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He appeared in two games as a backup before being released on November 5.

Dallas Cowboys On December 17, 2019, Smith was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys to provide depth because of injuries for the last two games of the season. He reunited with his former defensive coordinator Kris Richard. Smith appeared in two games with one start, registering five tackles and a forced fumble.

Cleveland Browns

Smith signed with the Cleveland Browns on August 23, 2020.

During Week 3 against the Washington Football Team, Smith recorded his first interception as a Brown in the 34–20 victory. This was his first interception since 2016. Smith was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Browns on December 31, 2020, and was activated nine days later. Smith appeared in 15 games with four starts, collecting 72 tackles (fourth on the team), a sack, an interception, two passes defensed, and a forced fumble.

Smith re-signed with the Browns on March 18, 2021. He appeared in 15 games with 6 starts, registering 51 tackles, two interceptions, and five passes defensed.

NFL career statistics Legend Won the Super Bowl Super Bowl MVP Bold Career high

Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Yds TD Int Yds Lng TD PD 2011 SEA 12 0 16 10 6 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2012 SEA 16 3 22 12 10 0.0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 22013 SEA 15 8 54 34 20 1.0 1 1 7 0 2 69 37 1 4 2014 SEA 14 5 38 27 10 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2015 OAK 16 16 122 99 23 4.0 2 0 0 0 1 27 27 0 6 2016 OAK 15 14 103 86 17 0.0 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 2017 SF 0 0 Did not play due to injury 2018 SF 12 5 35 22 13 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12019 JAX 2 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 DAL 2 1 5 4 1 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2020 CLE 15 4 72 49 23 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 2 2021 CLE 15 6 51 32 19 0.0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 5 Career 134 62 518 376 142 7.0 11 3 8 1 7 99 37 1 24

Personal life Smith's brother, Steve, also attended USC from 2003 to 2006 and played wide receiver for the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and St. Louis Rams.

Smith has achalasia, a rare disorder of the esophagus that affects its ability to move food toward the stomach. It started to affect him around the time of the 2009 Rose Bowl, where he began losing a few pounds of body weight each week because food would get stuck in his esophagus and he would have to throw it up. The weight loss was a problem as Smith tried to keep his weight up to . Originally diagnosed as acid reflux, further tests revealed the problem as achalasia. Smith underwent a surgical procedure called a Heller myotomy which helped somewhat, but he still has dietary restrictions that force him to eat very slowly.

On February 8, 2026, Smith served as the Seahawks' honorary captain at Super Bowl LX, which marked the Seahawks' second championship win.