The Las Vegas Raiders let Tre'Von Moehrig and Marcus Epps walk in free agency this offseason, which paved the way for some new blood to take over in the safety room. The team went out and signed Jeremy Chinn and re-signed Isaiah Pola-Mao to be their starters, but depth was still needed.
Lonnie Johnson Jr. was also added in free agency as a depth piece, but he suffered an injury during a mock game at Allegiant Stadium before the preseason. This paved the way for 2023 fifth-rounder Chris Smith and 2024 seventh-rounder Trey Taylor to earn a significant role as the third safety.
Despite the team adding former first-rounder Terrell Edmunds into the mix as well, Smith won the competition, thanks to a strong preseason. He made the initial 53-man roster and was expected to be a key factor when the team went to nickel packages.
Chris Smith may get lost in the shuffle with reinforcements on the way
Through three games of the 2025 NFL season, however, that has not been the case. Smith did not play a defensive snap in Week 1, and he played just three total downs in the following two games. He did not sub in on defense yet again in Week 4, calling his standing into question.
To make matters worse for Smith, Tristin McCollum, whom the team claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles during roster cutdowns, has begun playing in his place. McCollum, after being inactive in Week 1 and playing no defensive snaps in Week 2, has played seven in the last two weeks.
While neither of these players is moving the needle very much or playing a significant amount, Smith is clearly trending down, whereas McCollum is trending up. This is bad news for Smith and a disappointing development after a strong emergence in the preseason.
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Las Vegas should also get Johnson back from injury at some point in the next few weeks, as he was placed on IR before the season began, and he is now eligible to return. That would essentially cinch things for Smith, as Johnson was expected to be a big component in the Raiders' secondary.
Smith has struggled to find his footing throughout his three years in Las Vegas, which can be partially attributed to the rough waters of three regime changes in as many seasons. But just when it seemed like the tide was turning for him under Pete Carroll and John Spytek, it turned again.
Carroll's insistence on competition means that Smith's run is not truly over until he is out of the building. But McCollum and Johnson, both of whom were brought in by the new leadership, seem like the kiss of death for Smith.