Is Jaylon Smith worth all the hype?

Throughout preseason, there was a lot speculation focused on linebacker Jaylon Smith and whether his knee injury and resulting foot drop would affect his performance this NFL season. Two games have come and gone and we now have some information to go on giving us hopes that he will be a standout player in the years to come.

Smith was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2016 draft and was signed to a 4 year contract. This came as a surprise to most since he recently had major surgery after sustaining a left knee injury in his final college game. The injury resulted in nerve damage causing a foot drop. He was sidelined his first year with Dallas and made his debut this season.

There were a lot of questions on whether Smith would rise to the occasion and become the high caliber player he was in college. Due to Anthony Hitchens being placed on the injured reserved, Smith has gotten a lot of snaps these past two games, 35 in the first game and 68 this last game. He had an impressive season opener against the New York Giants with seven tackles and one forced fumble helping the Cowboys bring home a win.

This second game against the Denver Broncos proved to be a little different. Smith had an okay game at best. He did however lead the team with ten tackles, but that did little in the embarrassing 42-17 loss. Despite our loss, it has to be said that Smith has done well in meeting our expectations. We should remember that he’s getting a lot more snaps than a young player like him normally would.

Barring any injuries, he is on a path to becoming an integral player in Rod Marinelli‘s defense. He will continue to grow as a player throughout the season and I expect that he will be one of the team leaders in tackles.