Getty Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates a fumble recovery against the Jacksonville Jaguars at AT&T Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Arlington, Texas.
The Green Bay Packers are adding a Pro Bowl linebacker to the middle of their defense.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Packers are “finalizing details” on a deal to sign former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith after the Cowboys released him one day earlier. He added that a recruiting battle for Smith took place between the Packers and at least one other team, but ultimately Smith chose Green Bay with his official signing announcement expected to come in the morning on October 7.
The Cowboys unexpectedly released the 26-year-old linebacker on October 6 with five years and more than $50 million left on his contract, a move that also left the team on the hook for the majority of his $7.2 million salary for the 2021 season.
Smith had racked up at least 120 tackles in each of the past three seasons for the Cowboys as their every-game starter at middle linebacker, adding eight sacks, 17 tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles and two interceptions in that span. He was also tied for third in total tackles for the team (18) through the first four games of the 2021 season; though, he had been relegated to a backup role behind Leighton Vander Esch, Keanu Neal and Micah Parsons.
Now, the 2019 Pro Bowler will get a change of scenery to another NFC contender and have an opportunity to truly make a difference for their defense. It is expected that he will compete with Krys Barnes for the inside ‘backer role opposite De’Vondre Campbell, who himself has been an early-season standout as the Packers’ leading tackler (40).
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What Will Smith’s Role be for Packers?
While Smith is undoubtfully a significant addition for the Packers, it is a little unclear how exactly they plan to use him in their linebacker rotation. Campbell has been too good as their defensive signal-caller to consider demoting at this point, so he doesn’t expect to compete for the top job. Barnes, however, could be easier to dethrone.
Barnes was a surprisingly solid starter for the Packers in 2020, rising from an undrafted rookie who didn’t even make the initial active roster to a 10-game starter in the middle over veteran Christian Kirksey. It was seemed likely that he would pick right back up where he left off in his sophomore outing, but Barnes was a little underwhelming in his first three games before a concussion kept him off the field in Week 4.
The good news for Barnes is that he was a full participant in Wednesday’s first practice for Week 5 and would appear to have a good chance of returning to the lineup when the Packers travel to Cincinnati this weekend to take on the Bengals. Depending on how quickly Smith gets up to speed, though, Barnes could have his back up against a wall trying to get consistent playing time.
Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry might also take advantage of the influx of talent and attempt to run more three-linebacker sets as they did a few times throughout Week 4’s win over Pittsburgh. It certainly seems to be an option worth exploring consider how much more formidable a three-headed middle would be with Campbell, Smith and Barnes instead of Campbell, Oren Burks and Ty Summers.