Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith finally set to make NFL debut
A long, hard road for Jaylon Smith will finally lead to his first NFL game on Saturday.
Smith, an inside linebacker who suffered a major knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl with Notre Dame more than 19 months ago, will play in the Dallas Cowboys’ preseason game at Indianapolis this week. Owner Jerry Jones confirmed Smith will play, according to Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com.
After an offseason with plenty of bad news, Smith’s debut is a great story.
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Smith missed all of last season after the knee injury, which caused nerve damage. But he has worked his way back and has looked good in camp according to observers. It remains to be seen if Smith can recapture his previous form. Smith was projected to be an early first-round pick before the injury, and the Cowboys took a shot on him in the second round. That was a risky pick, but the Cowboys gambled on Smith at some point looking like he did at Notre Dame, even if he missed his entire rookie season to get healthy.
We’ll see if Smith can be a Pro Bowl player, or even a solid starter after such a devastating injury. But the first step is getting back on the field. Smith will finally do that for the first time since Jan. 1, 2016, and that in itself is fantastic news.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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