Source: Cowboys Cut Jaylon Smith After Failing to Trade Him

Jaylon Smith is odd-man out in a linebacker room that took on talent and numbers before the 2021 season

Jaylon Smith was released by the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, a source tells CowboysSI.com, a surprising move that the source says came after the 3-1 Cowboys tried but failed to trade him.

Smith had 18 tackles in four games for the Cowboys, though he had just one tackle for the Cowboys in Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers. He had a season-high nine tackles against the Chargers. Smith started two of the Cowboys’ four games.

Smith was often productive for the Cowboys the past three seasons, registering 121 total tackles in 2018, 142 in 2019 and 152 in 2020. Smith’s 2019 season led to his only Pro Bowl berth.

But the linebacker room has undergone changes, the biggest being the selection of Penn State’s Micah Parsons in the first round last April. Parsons has emerged as one of the defense’s big playmakers after four games. The Cowboys also selected Jabril Cox in the fourth round, and signed Keanu Neal to play linebacker in free agency.

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Smith’s story was one of the best in recent NFL memory. Smith suffered a devastating injury in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, tearing the ACL and LCL in his knee and hurting his draft chances. The Cowboys took a chance on him in the 2016 draft, taking him in the second round and having him sit the entire 2016 season to rehab the injury.

In 2017, Smith returned to the field and played in all 16 games, starting seven, and finishing with 81 combined tackles.

The Cowboys return to the field on Sunday when they host the New York Giants.

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You can reach Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.