Chris Smith traded to the Cincinnati Bengals

In a move that should send massive shockwaves throughout the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded oft-forgotten defensive end Chris Smith to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are gearing up for the 2017 NFL Draft, but that hasn’t stopped them from making moves elsewhere. In what will likely end up being forgotten in a matter of days, the Jaguars made some more room on the defensive line by trading away from draft pack Chris Smith to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The conditions for the pick are unknown, but it’s more likely than not that this will result in no compensation for the Jagaurs.

Selected in the 5th round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Smith never managed to find steady playing time under former head coach Gus Bradley. Despite a fairly productive college career at Arkansas, Smith’s limited skill set made it hard for him to find the field. He only appeared in 19 games and managed a paltry 4.5 sacks.

Smith joins Tyson Alualu, Roy Miller, Sen’Derrick Marks, and Jared Odrick as former prominent defensive lineman who aren’t playing for the Jaguars anymore.

Expectations were never very high for Smith, but his departure is somewhat of an indictment on general manager David Caldwell for another reason – he released promising rookie defensive end Tyrone Holmes last year to keep Smith on the roster. Holmes was then instantly claimed by the Cleveland Browns, and the late round pick went on to have an encouraging rookie campaign. Even if Holmes never becomes a solid producer, it certainly comes off as foolhardy on Caldwell’s part to keep a low ceiling veteran like Smith over an unknown quantity like Holmes.

This is probably already too many words for Smith, a player who never amounted to much on the Jaguars, but he should have some opportunities with the Bengals. Obviously it would be unfortunate for the Jaguars if he all of a sudden flourished, but hopefully he gets just enough playing time to generate a draft pick as compensation.