Giants bring back former Cowboys Pro-Bowl LB for another Big Blue stint

It looks like the Monday Night Football showdown between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys just got a little bit more interesting. With the G-Men needing some depth at linebacker, they’ve made quite the intriuging move in signing Jaylon Smith. Yes, the same Jaylon Smith who was a Pro Bowler with Dallas in 2019.

Interestingly enough, Smith signed with the Giants last season, appearing in four games for Big Blue, starting two of them. He had been at home through the first two weeks of this season waiting for a team to come calling. Luckily for him, general manager Joe Schoen has decided to give him another shot in East Rutherford. According to insider Art Stapleton, Smith has been inked to the practice squad.

NY Giants sign LB Jaylon Smith right before MNF game with the Cowboys

A former standout for Notre Dame, Smith was taken with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Due to his torn ACL, Smith didn’t make his NFL debut until 2017, but he didn’t waste any time in making a splash for the Cowboys. That season, Smith posted 81 total tackes in 16 games – making six starts.

The following season, Smith recorded 121 tackles and a career-high four sacks. Then in ’19, Smith was an animal, recording an unreal 142 tackles, plus 2.5 sacks. That fall let to the first and only trip to the Pro Bowl for him. In 2020, Smith’s last full season with the Cowboys, he turned even more heads with his 151 stops.

Last season, though, the Cowboys kept Smith around for 10 games before deciding to release him. Smith would go on to play in four games for the G-Men, plus two games for the Packers. While suiting up for NY, Smith tallied 19 tackles and one sack for the squad.

Now in his sixth pro season, Smith is going to get another chance to make an impact for the Giants. This time, though, he’ll be doing so in Wink Martindale’s system. The opportunity to fly through the offensive line and record sacks is surely going to be there for Smith if he’s given a shot and it’s looking like he’ll now have the chance to do some come Monday night against his former team.

It will all depend on if NY elevates him for this one, however. If Smith can record a sack or two on Cooper Rush, it’ll only make this signing even more sweet for the Giants. We’ll see if he makes the jump from the practice squad to the active roster for Week 3.

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