Dallas Cowboys: 3 players whose stock rose Week 4, and 2 who fell
By Mitch Larson
Dallas Cowboys Stock Down: LB, Jaylon Smith
Count me among those who were really hoping that 2021 would be a resurgent season for former Pro Bowl linebacker Jaylon Smith. Alas, it just hasn’t been the case and after multiple seasons of disappointing play, the Dallas Cowboys officially moved on from the former second-round pick out of Notre Dame.
Smith’s continued poor play and now release have landed him here in the stock down category. But that said, I genuinely wish him well, wherever his next stop might be. Jaylon Smith had become a pretty easy target for fan frustration in recent years and many are quick to forget but the fact that he ever even played a meaningful down in the NFL, let alone at the level he did early on, was inspiring and nothing short of amazing.
At his best, he frequently showed extended glimpses of the electric player many considered to be the best defender in the 2016 draft. His 2018 season, in particular, had many fans thinking that he and Leighton Vander Esch would be leading Dallas’ linebacking corps for years to come.
He hasn’t really showcased that ability in recent seasons though. Instead, he’s been a massive liability in coverage and struggled mightily to get off any block. The albatross contract extension he signed in 2019 surely didn’t help matters either.
So far, 2021 hasn’t been terribly kind to him. He’s made a few plays that flashed his former play-making ability, but it’s been far from a return to form. The majority of the time he’s just looked lost out there. With Keanu Neal’s impending return from the COVID-19 list this week, Smith was likely going to be the odd man out in the linebacker rotation.
On Sunday afternoon against the Panthers, Smith played just 28 snaps, and on Tuesday night the Cowboys released him. Now, if Smith is going to right the ship on his career, it’s going to be in a different uniform.