Jaylon Smith is heading to his third team this season, and second in the NFC East. The linebacker has been signed to the Giants’ practice squad, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). 
The 26-year-old played four seasons in Dallas after being drafted by the Cowboys, but was released on October 5th. He ranked second in the league in tackles with 154 in 2020, but was let go after he declined to waive his injury guarantee for the 2022 campaign. That left the Cowboys on the hook for $7.2MM in dead money, but allowed them to move forward with their linebacking corps headed by first-round rookie Micah Parsons.
Smith caught on with another NFC contender, quickly signing with the Packers. He played just 27 snaps across two games with Green Bay, however, registering only one tackle. In November, he was let go for the second time this year.
Smith will now join a Giants’ team whose linebackers have been “hit by the flu”, according to the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard. His first opportunity to play for his newest team will come on Sunday, against the Cowboys of all opponents.
Is this a ploy to have a former player help with the play calling Sunday?
It is, but it won’t work, because the Giants suck.
What the heck are you talking about? What ploy? The team is 4-9 with glennon starting at qb and ravaged by covid. This is a we are very thin on defense cause of covid and we need bodies signing. Plus its a chance to buy low on someone thats talented. Kind of like the wilson signing.
ND fan here. Can someone help me understand what’s going on with Jaylon Smith? 6th in tackles in 2019, 2nd in 2020, now can’t find a roster spot? No character issues to speak of. Looking for honest feedback. Jaylon was probably the best player ND had in my 30+ years of watching. Dude was a beast.
I am wondering the same thing. Seems like he’s a ballhawk on defense, we must be missing something from our couches lol
Yeah, I don’t quite get it either. Dude has always been productive. Seems like he could have been a big pickup for a contending team. I’m surprised none picked him up.
He was a monster in college.
That knee injury significantly slowed him.
He should have been the next great LB.
He has “drop foot” which he’s continually rehabbed since coming into the league, unfortunately it likely means he is going to be slowed by that more and more the older he gets.
Now he’s the reason so many highly touted college players are skipping the Bowl Season.
He was pretty good in the pros too, at least for a short while. Smith has fallen far this year. In comparison to other LBs a team could sign right now as free agents, it’s a good bet.
But his star has fallen pretty quickly. I think that an offseason with a new team could significantly help in a new system, particularly a 4-3, but the athleticism that was Smith’s calling card apparently has diminished significantly in a short period of time.
He can’t run anymore.. He had a nice return from a devastating injury but he’s not an NFL type athlete at this point. He registered a lot of tackles the last few years on a terrible, holistically terrible, defense but more than half of them were over 5 yards down field. He sucks vs the run and he can’t cover at all. He doesn’t play special teams. He’s done..
As a packer fan I was really excited to get him, thinking we were getting this top 5 pick level of a LB…wasn’t the case. Don’t know if it’s lack of speed or acceleration but he takes some pretty awful angles. Yes will make some plays and tackles but 80-90% of them are downfield 5+ yards instead of at or behind the line. Would’ve loved to see more of him to really get a feel but coaches had to see something more since GB had like 0 ILB besides Campbell when we cut Smith.
Watched every snap he ever played for Dallas. The last 2 seasons he was absolutely awful. Most of his tackles were 7 or 8 yards downfield. He is a great guy and I really rooted for him. He had no lateral movement and absolutely no ability anymore to shed blocks. Sad to say…He has the heart but no longer has the tools. Will make a great coach someday.
Did he lose the tools that quick? Or was he never the same since the injury in college.
Even he is slow can’t tackle , he still becomes our best player. GANO and Smith MVP’s
What happened to this team need to clean house before draft will have a nice number of picks
I hate Dave Gettleman and hate being a Giants fan for the past decade. I like this signing though. I don’t know what happened with him, but he was a stud just a couple years ago.
This ex-Cowboy is a lottery ticket; he could pay off and isn’t costing much for the audition.
Good timing with the LB corps hugely weakened by the loss of Blake Martinez.
You make it sound as if this move was in response to Blake’s injury when he hasn’t played in months
My expectations were on the high side this year for the Giants. I should of known better after Giants passed on Parsons and traded down for Toney. Why does Gettleman still have a job? He’s just as bad at drafting like Phil Jackson was on the Knicks.
He doesn’t have a job anymore. It’s common knowledge that he will be “retiring” at the end of the season. Also Parsons wasn’t the pick Slater was but I can’t fault him for the move when everyone loved that he did it at the time. You know that you have a defensive player of the year and pro bowl caliber tackle sitting there when you pick. If everyone knew what they were they have been gone long before the giants picked.
His lack of direction change was hindering his play. The “drop foot” still requires a brace which again slowed him more. The last nail was his refusal to change his injury claused contract. Dallas knows something and didn’t feel safe? Enough to cut him costing the team millions for years? So clearly and respectfully it was a quick but quite break up. Great story, great guy but there’s something not publicly there.
The Giants Suck!!