Beginning his fourth year in the NFL on the West Coast with the Rams where the defensive tackle helped them win the NFC championship two seasons earlier to the East Coast where he spent time in the Bills' training camp to the Midwest where he began the season on the Browns practice squad and then back to the East Coast where he joined the Jets in Week 6.
"Actually, that 2020 was crazy," Smart laughed. "The Rams cut me during the Covid time, and then after like two days after I got cut from Cleveland, the Jets signed me up for a workout. When I went there, (defensive assistant coach) Blake Williams and (defensive coordinator) Gregg Williams, I actually played for those guys at the Senior Bowl. So the defensive staff knew who I was.
"Gregg and Blake just told me to come out and do what I can do. It was an attack-style defense, and the first day I went out there, we had one-on-ones, and I kind of fell into that pass rusher role. That's what was expected out of me. Just bringing energy, rushing the passer, and helping guys.
"Coming from the Rams with guys like Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers, I had a lot of knowledge, so I was just helping guys along the way. At the end of the day, that's kind of how my role was."
Smart spent time on New York's practice squad that first season and played in three games. He then spent the following year on the practice squad, ultimately appearing in three games during the 2022 season and four in 2023 .
"The whole time I was with the Jets, I was always up and down, getting cut, coming back. But the franchise was nothing but good to me," Smart said. "I guess you could say it was frustrating at times, but I kind of just accepted my role. Whenever my number was called, it was a blessing. God blessed me to be there."
While Smart didn't hear his number called as often as he would have liked, he was in a spot where practically anyone who ever put on a helmet hoped they would be. What was his mindset during those times?
"Just taking it one day at a time, it gave me a lot of opportunities," Smart said. "In the NFL, you never know if you're going to play, you never know if you're not. So I just had the mindset of every week I was going to play the game."
With the Jets for four seasons, Smart's fondest memories from those days occurred off the field.
"I think the D-line and the camaraderie we had and the bond we shared all those years, Coach (Aaron) Whitecotton did a good job of keeping us together, keeping us as a close-knit group," he said. "It was the D-line, going out to eat, the joint practices, the games. I've always said the Jets, that was my favorite time I had in the NFL."
That was also when Smart confirmed something that had been in the back of his mind while he was with the Jets: after playing in his last game, he wanted to move to the sideline and become a coach.
"Those last four to five years, I kind of fell into that role," Smart said. "A lot of weeks, I knew I wasn't going to play. But that was my job, to be ready. I could have easily just not watch tape and not did this and not did that, but I actually enjoyed studying the game and helping a lot of my teammates. Just telling them what I see. I feel like I always wanted to do that and those last couple years of my career got me prepared to do that.
"I always looked at Coach Whitecotton as my D-line mentor, just taking a lot of notes from him. And even when I'd go home, studying the O-linemen and just trying to see how my team and I could beat those guys going into the week.
"I always liked watching films. And then over the course of my career, it always elevated. When I was with the Rams, those guys really helped me learn how to watch film, and that's what I think was the key piece of me going to the Jets. I knew how to break O-linemen down, but then when Coach Whitecotton came in, he took it to another level."
After seven seasons and playing in 41 games with four starts, Smart spent the 2024 season out of football. His first NFL coaching opportunity came last year when he was the defensive assistant/quality control coach in Dallas.
"Coach Whitecotton was the D-line coach there, and I ended up connecting with him and talking with Coach Schotty [Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer] at an interview," Smart said. "It went real well. Had a couple of guys up for the job, and I ended up winning the job. It was a blessing. Just taking all the steps you needed to get into coaching, it was all new for me, but it was a great experience. Everything was good."
In February, Smart connected with his head coach for three seasons with the Jets, Robert Saleh, who's now the head coach in Tennessee, and was named the Titans' assistant defensive line coach.
As he demonstrated during his time with the Cowboys and as a defensive line coach at the Senior Bowl, Strong will bring a lot of energy and a passion for the game through his role with the Titans.
He has experienced much in his NFL journey, from being drafted in the sixth round out of Tulane in 2017 and spending time on the practice squad to helping the Rams reach Super Bowl LVI. Along the way, he heard the J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets! chant at MetLife Stadium and became a respected mentor.
"Guys I played with, everybody always asked me questions," Smart said. "And the young guys now, they ask me questions because I've seen everything in the NFL. I've been on the practice squad. I've been to the Super Bowl. I've been a starter. I've been a backup. I've started at every level of the game and I played with some of the best players in the history of the NFL. The guys know that and they always lean on me for questions. And that's cool with me. I'll answer all of them."
A girl dad who makes his home in Nashville, Smart and his wife, Jada, have two daughters: Tatum and Taja.
"A family man, God-fearing man. That's who I do it for," he said. "Family, that's the main thing I cherish. We do everything together and that's the best thing about being me."
