Aldon Smith: A bright spot in the Dallas Cowboys loss

Despite the Dallas Cowboys 20-17 loss to the Rams, Aldon Smith showed promise

The Dallas Cowboys broke headlines this past offseason by signing defensive end Aldon Smith to a one-year contract worth up to $4 million. Smith broke onto the scene with the San Francisco 49ers in 2011 and 2012 racking up 33.5 sacks through his first two seasons in the NFL. Smith became the fastest defender ever to reach 30 sacks, showing NFL Hall-of-Fame level potential as an edge rusher.

In 2013, Smith spiraled down a slew of off the field incidents that impacted his availability on the field. These incidents ranged from being arrested on a suspected DUI in 2013 to being arrested for a DUI hit-and-run that included vandalism charges in 2015. Smith also dealt with suspensions due to violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

On the right track

After spending five years away from the game of football, Smith started at defensive end for the Cowboys on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams. Smith exceeded expectations, having 11 total tackles and one sack throughout the game. Even when he did not officially impact the box score, there were several plays throughout the game where the Rams offense was impacted by Smith’s presence on the field.

For a game where the Dallas Cowboys highly-anticipated offense scored just 17 points, and the defense looked sluggish from the first snap, one positive takeaway from the game can be Aldon Smith’s performance.

Smith showed his raw strength and talent throughout the game, and will only improve as the season goes along as he gets used to game speed. A surprising yet low priced free agent signing may prove to be very valuable for the Cowboys throughout the season as Smith shows promise as a valuable starter for the Cowboys defense as they hope to contend for a Super Bowl.