Chris Smith Ii

Career StatsF

Year	Team	GP	INT	PD	Tkl
Career		36	—	—	10
2025		14	0	0	3
2024		15	0	0	6
2023		12	0

Season	Team	GP	Tkl	Sacks	INT	PD	Grade
2025		14	3	0.0	0	—	F F Bottom 5%
2024		15	6	0.0	0	—	F F Bottom 5%
2023		12	1	0.0	0	—	F F Bottom 5%

Grades reflect the player's performance in each season. Header grade shows the current season.

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The D- Contract Value Index on Chris Smith II's deal stems from how the cap hit lines up against on-field output. At $1.0M annually on a four-year rookie scale contract, Smith II carries a financial footprint light enough to be digestible, but his 2025 season—three tackles across 14 games—produced virtually no statistical justification for even modest compensation, let alone roster continuity. For a safety in an NFL market where above-average starters command $8M-$12M annually and depth pieces still need to demonstrate either coverage instinct or tackling consistency, Smith II has delivered neither; the zero interceptions and zero passes defended across his three-year tenure compound the concern that he lacks the instinctive play-making or technical coverage ability the position demands. At 26 and entering his fourth season after being drafted in the fifth round in 2023, Smith II is now at a developmental crossroads where flashes of improvement become non-negotiable—instead, the prevailing narrative is one of organizational indifference, evidenced by the Rams' waiver release and the Jets' acquisition framed as roster flexibility rather than confidence. The Jets' recent transaction activity (cutting and signing kickers, adding depth receivers, releasing centers) suggests a franchise in evaluation-and-rebuild mode, and Smith II's place in that puzzle appears to be as a camp body or special teams reserve, not a projected contributor to defensive production. On a rookie deal with no guaranteed money to unwind and minimal salary impact, the CVI reflects a low-risk, low-upside profile—exactly the kind of depth contract that costs nothing to cut if a better option emerges, and right now that expendability is the most honest read of his standing with the organization.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the D band — a quick read on where Chris's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Chris Smith II earns an F for the Jets at safety, one of the lowest-graded defensive backs in the league. Smith has been thoroughly overmatched at the NFL level, struggling with every aspect of playing safety. His coverage is nonexistent, his tackling has been poor, and his instincts are below replacement level. The Jets secondary has had its issues, and Smith has been the weakest link by a significant margin. New York needs a complete overhaul at the bottom of their secondary depth chart, starting with finding better options than Smith.

How Chris Compares at the Position

Chris Smith Ii ranks 195th of 196 graded safeties by performance. That slots Chris between Joey Blount (F) just ahead and Beau Brade (F) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Chris Smith II's public perception sits at a D- heading into the 2026 campaign, a grade that essentially captures the quiet indifference surrounding a player who generates no optimism and no controversy — just a kind of organizational shrug. The defining narrative here is the waiver claim itself: the Rams released him, the Jets picked him up, and coverage of the move focused almost entirely on the transaction logistics rather than any expression of confidence in what Smith II can actually do on a football field. That framing aligns with a performance grade of F — the 2025 season produced just 3 tackles across 14 games, a statistical footprint so faint it reinforces every concern about his ability to make a consistent impact at the professional level. The Jets, sitting at 3-14 and clearly in a period of roster reconstruction, have been active this offseason with signings like Marcelino McCrary-Ball, Kene Nwangwu, and Chukwuma Okorafor, which only deepens the sense that Smith II is roster filler in a larger depth-building exercise rather than a targeted solution to a specific need. At 26 and entering his fourth NFL season on a rookie scale contract after being drafted in the fifth round, the window to reframe this narrative is narrowing fast, and right now the story is one of a player fighting for relevance on a team that picked him up for flexibility, not faith.