Terell Smith Bio
Terell Smith is an American professional football cornerback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). Born on July 27, 1999, in The Bronx, New York, he played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers before entering the professional ranks. Selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Bears, he has continued to develop within the team’s defensive secondary. His journey from a New York upbringing to Georgia high school football and Big Ten college ball shaped a career built on physicality and coverage awareness.
Standing 6 feet 0 inches tall and competing at 205 pounds, Smith brings the frame and athleticism expected of an outside corner. After two seasons in Chicago, his progress was halted by a significant knee injury during the 2025 preseason, placing him on season-ending injured reserve.
Early Life and Background
Terell Smith was born on July 27, 1999, in The Bronx, New York. He later relocated with his family to Snellville, Georgia, where he continued his upbringing in the metropolitan Atlanta area. The move placed him within a strong high school football region known for producing collegiate talent.
Smith attended South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, where he first showcased the cover skills and physicality that would later define his college recruitment. His performances in the Georgia high school ranks attracted the attention of Big Ten programs, and he ultimately committed to play college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota.
Path to American Football
Smith’s transition from high school prospect to collegiate starter happened quickly once he arrived in Minneapolis. He became a starter at cornerback early into his freshman season at Minnesota, signaling the coaching staff’s immediate confidence in his ability. That debut year produced 43 tackles, one interception, and eight passes broken up, an impressive statistical foundation for a true freshman.
Over the next two seasons, Smith saw limited playing time as a backup after the arrival of cornerback Benjamin St-Juste, who transferred into the program and claimed a starting role. He then redshirted his junior season, preserving a year of eligibility while continuing his physical development. The redshirt junior campaign began as a starter before a midseason benching, yet Smith responded by regaining his starting spot as a senior and delivering a strong final college season with 38 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and five passes broken up.
Terell Smith Career
Early Career (2023)
Terell Smith was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round, 165th overall, of the 2023 NFL Draft. The selection capped a college trajectory that included both early starting responsibility and periods of patience through redshirting and backup duty. His arrival in Chicago gave the Bears a developmental cornerback prospect with multi-year starting experience at a Power Five program.
As a rookie, Smith played in 12 games and earned four starts. He recorded 49 tackles, six passes defensed, and a forced fumble, showing the tackling reliability and disruption in coverage that had marked his Minnesota tape. The workload confirmed his role as a rotational defensive back with starting upside.
Chicago Bears Era (2023-Present)
In his second NFL season, Smith played in 14 games with two starts during 2024. He produced 19 tackles, four passes defensed, and an interception, continuing to show versatility in the Bears’ secondary while contributing on special teams. The expanded games played reflected his growing importance within the defensive rotation.
The 2025 preseason brought a difficult setback. Smith suffered a torn patellar tendon and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on August 24, 2025. The injury interrupted what had been a steady developmental arc and required a longer recovery timeline.
Driving Style and Strengths
Smith operates with the physicality expected of a 6-foot, 205-pound corner, using his frame to disrupt receivers at the line and finish tackles in the run game. His college production showed a balanced skill set, combining open-field tackling with coverage production including pass breakups and interceptions. Those traits have translated to a reserve and rotational role in Chicago, where he has delivered tackles and passes defensed while learning the demands of NFL offenses.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the defining moments of Smith’s career are his early freshman starting debut at Minnesota, his selection as the 165th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and his first NFL interception during the 2024 season. The 2025 patellar tendon injury stands as the most significant challenge of his professional career, placing him on injured reserve and pausing his on-field progress.
Terell Smith Career Wins
Terell Smith has not yet posted a verified win total as a featured statistical headline, and detailed per-season win aggregates are not fully documented across sources. His documented contributions have come through individual defensive production, including tackles, passes defensed, forced fumbles, and an interception.
Chicago Bears Highlights
Smith’s most notable statistical outputs for the Bears include his 2023 rookie totals of 49 tackles, six passes defensed, and a forced fumble across 12 games and four starts. In 2024, he added 19 tackles, four passes defensed, and an interception over 14 games with two starts.
Other Wins & Performances
At the collegiate level with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Smith posted 43 tackles, one interception, and eight passes broken up as a freshman starter, then closed his senior year with 38 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and five passes broken up. Those senior figures underscored his ceiling heading into the 2023 NFL Draft.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was shaped for Smith by an unfortunate preseason turn. After participating in Bears training camp and preseason work, he suffered a torn patellar tendon, an injury that placed him on season-ending injured reserve on August 24, 2025. The timeline ensured he would not appear in regular-season games for Chicago during the 2025 campaign.
For the Bears, the loss removed a developing cornerback from the secondary rotation during a year in which the team continued building its defensive depth. Smith’s expected roles on special teams and as a reserve boundary corner were redirected to other members of the roster.
Looking ahead, the focus for Smith shifts to rehabilitation and a return to full health. Recovery from a torn patellar tendon typically requires an extended timeline, and his next opportunity to contribute on the field will depend on his progress through the rehabilitation process. Once cleared, he is expected to compete for a spot in Chicago’s cornerback rotation and rebuild the momentum that his rookie and sophomore seasons had begun to establish.