Former Cowboys 56-Game Starter Signs with Steelers in Free Agency

Getty Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith

As the Dallas Cowboys attempt to rebound from back-to-back road losses, a former starter is looking to take on a new opportunity. After several years in Dallas, veteran linebacker Jaylon Smith has hopped around the NFL and is now joining the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On December 26, Smith got a belated Christmas present in the form of a new NFL contract. His agent Doug Hendrickson first announced the news via a post on X.

“Congrats @thejaylonsmithfor signing with the @steelers,” Hendrickson wrote.

Smith was most recently with the Las Vegas Raiders, but was released on November 22. In fact, the Raiders signed him off the New Orleans Saints practice squad meaning that the Steelers will be the third different franchise Smith has been a part of in 2023.

The Cowboys faced Smith last season when the former Notre Dame star was a starting LB for the New York Giants. Now, Smith is staying in the AFC as the Steelers attempt to make a last-ditch effort to make a Wild Card spot in the playoffs.

Smith’s Time in Dallas

The Cowboys took a gamble with Smith by taking him in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. While a highly touted prospect at Notre Dame, his final game with the Fighting Irish saw him tear his ACL and LCL.

Dallas selected him knowing that he was not going to appear in the following season. After recovering, Smith did finally hit the field in 2017 and begun to show why the Cowboys still drafted him with two forced fumbles and six tackles for loss.

But in 2018, Smith began to truly hit his stride. According to Pro Football Reference, Smith totaled 121 tackles, four sacks, four passes defended and two forced fumbles. He also started all 16 games, as he would do in his Pro Bowl season in 2019.

That year, Smith upped his PDs to 9, earned an interception and totaled 142 tackles. His final season with the Cowboys was in 2020, when he totaled 154 tackles, earned a pick and put up 1.5 sacks.

Midway through the 2021 season, Dallas and owner Jerry Jones released Smith. This was due primarily to an injury clause in his contract that could’ve had the Cowboys on the hook for $9.2 million.

Smith was picked up by the Green Bay Packers, but released again a month and two appearances later. The Giants picked him up after, where he spent the remainder of the 2021 campaign and the following 2022 season.

Cowboys LB Micah Parsons Speaks on Role

While Smith joins a new team, Cowboys LB Micah Parsons is addressing chatter that he could be an off-ball linebacker. The third-year star has solidified himself as an elite edge rusher in the NFL, but Dallas needs help in off-ball play.

But for Parsons, he believes the speculation is due to panic. He said as much in a December 21 social media post.

“Its because teams are running the ball and people like to panic !” Parsons wrote in response to an X post. “Im Probaly leading every category in pash rushing besides sacks! People are nuts ! And if people watch film they take shots and pass more when I’m off ball or out the game! We have to get better period!”

Parsons is a wildly talented player who could do well in that role. But his production as a pass-rusher speaks for itself, and the Cowboys should be looking for others to step up instead.