Commander Country

Commanders Sign Star Lineman from XFL; Details

Jaryd Jones-Smith was an All-XFL offensive lineman this season. Now, he signs with the Washington Commanders.

Jeremy Brener

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The Washington Commanders are continuing to make some adjustments on the offensive line.

The Commanders are signing offensive tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith, who played for the XFL's St. Louis BattleHawks during the spring. In a corresponding move, the team cut offensive tackle Drew Himmelman.

Jones-Smith, 27, had a strong season with the BattleHawks and was named to the All-XFL team at the end of the year. Now, he hopes to parlay that into a roster spot with the Commanders in the fall.

Jones-Smith does have some NFL experience to fall back on. After going undrafted in 2018 from the University of Pittsburgh, Jones-Smith has bounced around the league, playing for the Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens. He has six appearances under his belt, three with the Raiders in 2020 and another three with the Ravens in 2021.

Last offseason, Jones-Smith was in training camp with the Ravens but was among the final roster cuts before the 53-man roster was revealed.

Now, Jones-Smith hopes that he can stick with the Commanders, who have brought in a lot of offensive line help this offseason. It's a wide open contest for who will grab a starting spot, and Jones-Smith is bound to put a little pressure on those higher than him on the depth chart.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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