Green Bay Packers are “Likely Landing Spot” for LB Jaylon Smith
By Paul Bretl
The Green Bay Packers were unable to land cornerback Stephon Gilmore, but they are now linked to another relatively big name—linebacker Jaylon Smith.
According to Ian Rapoport, the Green Bay Packers are the “likely landing spot” for Smith, who is now a free agent.
Smith was cut on Tuesday by the Dallas Cowboys.
"“Really this wasn’t an easy decision,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said via ESPN. “He’s a good football player. He’s played excellent football here for a long time, but we have a [defensive] system, I think it’s clear now after four games how we’re playing.”"
However, before we dive into the idea of Smith being a Green Bay Packer, it’s important to note that the deal is not done yet. According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, Smith is still being courted by other teams, and while the Packers remain the favorite, nothing is official.
Smith was the 34th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of Notre Dame and would miss his entire rookie year recovering from a knee injury he suffered in the Fiesta Bowl during his final collegiate season.
In 2017, Smith appeared in 16 games while making six starts. He tallied 81 total tackles, three of which were for a loss, with six pressures and a sack.
From 2018 to 2020, Smith would take on a larger role, starting all 48 games during that three-year span. Smith recorded 254 tackles, including 17 for a loss, along with 38 pressures and 10 sacks, according to PFF ($$). The 2019 season was a Pro Bowl year for Smith.
This year, Smith has taken the second-most snaps at the linebacker position for the Cowboys, despite starting in only two of the four games. He has totaled 18 tackles and two pressures.
However, with the Cowboys revamping the linebacker position this offseason by adding Micah Parsons and Jabril Cox through the draft, along with already having Leighton Vander Esch and the signing of Keanu Neal in free agency, this was a crowded linebacker room in Dallas, to say the least, and they opted to move on from Smith’s big contract.
Smith had signed a five-year $64 million extension in 2019 that leaves the Cowboys on the hook for his entire $7.2 million base salary in 2021, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. That contract also included a guaranteed $9.2 million base salary in 2022 had Smith suffered an injury—this is likely a big factor in the Cowboys’ decision to move on.
While the Packers aren’t tied to his previous contract, the fact that Smith is still earning $7.2 million from Dallas could lead to him signing a more team-friendly deal with Green Bay, who has $7.2 million in available cap space per Over the Cap.
At the linebacker position, the Green Bay Packers have benefited from the emergence of De’Vondre Campbell, who has provided them with a major upgrade with his abilities as a three-down linebacker–effective in coverage, against the run, and as a blitzer.
Krys Barnes is steady if unspectacular, but missed most of Week 3 and all of Week 4 with a concussion that he is currently working his way back from. This forced the Green Bay Packers to rely more heavily on Oren Burks and Ty Summers.
Summers, in particular, has really struggled, and Smith should be an immediate upgrade over him, but both Summers and Burks do bring more special teams ability than Smith does–something worth noting.
Recently the Jaylon Smith that we’ve seen does not look like the same version that we saw earlier in his career, with it looking like his athleticism has left him to a certain degree. But perhaps in a reduced role and in the linebacker friendly system that Joe Barry utilizes, we can see him regain some of that past form.