Getty Middle linebacker Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates against the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on November 11, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Dallas Cowboys won 27-20.
For those wondering if linebacker Jaylon Smith could be headed towards a reunion with the Dallas Cowboys, the answer appears to be no. Smith is once again a free agent after being released by the Packers less than a month after he was signed. CBS Sports’ Patrik Walker reported that his sources would be “stunned” if the Cowboys brought back Smith, even with rookie Jabril Cox being ruled out for the season.
“And despite the recent season-ending torn ACL suffered by Jabril Cox, sources tell CBS Sports they’d be ‘stunned’ (as one specifically put it) if the Cowboys choose to double back for Smith, a player they were so hellbent on moving on from a month ago,” Walker detailed. “(They’re now viewing the return of Francis Bernard from injured reserve as the replacement for Cox.) There’s also the added aspect of wondering if the 26-year-old would want to return to Dallas, given the details of the divorce, and the fact he isn’t a special teams weapon as Cox was, something the Cowboys would also require him to be. In other words, as it relates to Dallas’ math, it doesn’t add up any more now than it did prior to Oct. 5.
“So although they’re still paying him, it appears that ship has sailed — barring a wildly unexpected change of heart (for both parties) and/or a setback in the return of Bernard. But the team also has a key special teamer in Luke Gifford who can also help replace Cox, along with a budding star in safety Jayron Kearse, who is being utilized as a linebacker in some big nickel packages. Again, the math isn’t mathing right now for any sort of reunion with Smith.”
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Smith’s Lack of Special Teams Play Makes a Cowboys Reunion Unlikely
Smith played in just two games for the Packers notching one tackle and was a surprise inactive against the Cardinals just days before he was released. The bigger question is whether Smith will find another landing spot, period. ESPN’s Todd Archer noted that Smith’s lack of special teams play nixes any hope that he would be welcomed back in Dallas.
“No, I don’t think Jaylon Smith would be an option for the Cowboys in replacing Jabril Cox,” ESPN’s Todd Archer detailed on Twitter on November 2. “He didn’t play special teams the first time he was here.”
Smith Is Still Dealing With Drop Foot
Walker reported the Cowboys decided to release Smith after the veteran linebacker declined to waive a clause in his contract that would put Dallas on the hook for his 2022 salary if he sustained a significant injury. The emergence of young Cowboys linebackers like Micah Parsons made this an unnecessary risk.
“So when the Cowboys approached him and asked him to waive the aforementioned injury clause, and he declined, they abruptly sent him packing — seeing an opportunity to both clear the path for younger talent while escaping his contract,” Walker added. “They were so determined in their mission that they wound up eating $7.6 million to release him, and that allowed the Packers to pay him the veteran minimum, seeing as the Cowboys were footing the bill for the remainder of his 2021 salary.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones praised Smith after his release but admitted the linebacker is still dealing with leg issues.
“Well, it was [hard] principally because he’s such a warrior,” Jones noted during an October 8 interview with Dallas’ 105.3 the Fan. “He really was what you think about when you think of somebody overcoming adversity and for this game. He had [a] great hurdle to overcome to overcome his injury and that drop foot, it’s called drop foot that he had and still takes him to this day, was mind over matter in my mind.
“Now, there was a lot of physical rehab they had to do to people such as specifically Jason Witten and such as Sean Lee. When they would work with him as he was rehabbing [they] would tell me we’ve never seen anybody go to the levels that he’ll push himself for this rehab or to overcome this injury, we’ve never seen anybody.”
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Cowboys Make Decision on Potential Jaylon Smith Reunion: Report