Getty Former Cowboys teammates Jaylon Smith #9 and Damontae Kazee.
After spending the past month-plus unemployed, Jaylon Smith made his New York Giants debut in Week 15 — against the Dallas Cowboys of all teams. Facing his former team, the one-time Pro Bowl linebacker racked up four combined tackles (three solo) on 17 defensive snaps. His efforts were enough to earn him a contract for the remainder of the season, as the team announced the following day that both Smith and defensive back Jarren Williams were signed to their 53-man roster.
However, while the Giants evidently came away pleased with Smith’s showing against the Cowboys, his play was far from the biggest storyline of his debut. Instead, that honor goes to FOX television cameras seemingly catching Smith celebrating the Cowboys’ defeat of his new team.
You Do Know You Play for the Giants, Right?
As quarterback Dak Prescott led Dallas’ offense to the line of scrimmage in the victory formation, Smith was spotted taking part in the “Landry Shift” — a tribute to Cowboys legendary coach Tom Landry and an end of game celebration ritual for the franchise.
I KNOW y’all saw Jaylon Smith doing the Landry Shift with us then fist pump, right?! 😂#CowboysNation @dallascowboys
“He’s gonna be on waivers Monday morning!!,” one commenter wrote.
“Jaylon’s natural instinct is to just celebrate. It doesn’t really matter what else is going on around him,” another commenter said, appearing to shade Smith for his tendency to celebrate tackles after surrendering a big gain.
But wait, there’s more.
Jori Epstein of USA Today shared a clip on Twitter of a skirmish between the Cowboys’ offensive line and Big Blue’s defensive line midway through the third quarter. In the clip Smith can be seen coming to the aid of — wait for it — Cowboys left guard Connor Williams, helping his former teammate to his feet.
“Jaylon don’t wanna be there,” said a fan in response to the video.
“Hilarious that he’s collecting $7m from Cowboys and game check from Giants – team he’s playing for but doesn’t care about outcome or his current team,” another user claimed.
Shortly after the Giants’ 21-6 loss, Smith was also spotted exchanging pleasantries with numerous ex-teammates, including Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys shared both a photo and a video of the trio to their official Twitter account captioned: “All love” and “Family.”
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A Bunch of Nothing?
Were Smith to prove a worthy contributor down the stretch for New York, all of this essentially gets tossed out the window. Are the optics great? Of course not. If he was hoping to make a positive first impression on his new fanbase, well he certainly missed the boat on that one. Still, this wasn’t some sort of inside job conspiracy. If anything, it was the Giants who were trying to get some insider information, signing Smith just two days before facing his former team.
The fact of the matter is, Smith has more pressing needs to take care of. For example, rejuvenating his diminishing career. After collecting the sixth-most tackles (254) in football from 2018-2020, earning a Pro Bowl nod and a $35.5 million guaranteed contract, Smith’s career looks to be on life support. He was kicked to the curb twice in the span of less than a month earlier this season. First, when the Cowboys released him on October 5 after he was passed on the depth chart by rookie phenom Micah Parsons. Then, on November 2, the Green Bay Packers moved on from him after just 27 snaps.
The good news for Smith, he’s found himself in an ideal situation to rebuild his stock. The Giants are extremely thin at linebacker with Blake Martinez sidelined due to a torn ACL. Tae Crowder continues to rack up tackles but fails to pass the eye test, while Reggie Ragland is an impending free agent with little upside. If Smith can muster up a few strong showings to close out the year he can position himself for not only a Giants roster spot in 2022, but a legitimate shot at a starting job.