New York Giants 2023 UFA Primer: LB Jaylon Smith

Inside linebacker Jaylon Smith made a return visit with the Giants this season and played well. But did he play well enough to return to a position where the Giants have a glaring need?

Jaylon Smith, Inside Linebacker

Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 240 lbs.
Age: 27
NFL Exp: 6 Years
College: Notre Dame

Previously the team had the issue of finding ways to shut him down twice a season in the NFC East. Now the New York Giants have had Jaylon smith on their side, and he has become an efficient contributor to the 2022 postseason.

In a campaign that saw him bounce between three NFL franchises, the Giants and Smith partnered in December 2021 when he was signed to the practice squad and ultimately brought up to the active roster to help the organization close out their 4-13 outing.

His other stops included the Dallas Cowboys, who drafted him in 2017 and with whom he spent a little over four seasons, and the Green Bay Packers, who briefly held him for two games and then released him back into the waiver market.

Smith played his high school ball in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he was granted the Butkus Award for the best high school linebacker in the country and named “Mr. Football” in Indiana.

He then committed to continuing playing collegiately at the University of Notre Dame in 2013 and played three years with 292 tackles, 4.5 sacks, one interception, and three forced fumbles that made him a two-time All-American.

Entering the draft in 2016, Smith was selected 34th overall by the Cowboys in a decision that surprised many draft analysts and the media, given the fourth linebacker prospect was rehabbing from an ACL and MCL tear he suffered in his final game with the Fighting Irish. Yet, the Cowboys never questioned his potential, and their gamble paid off with one of the highest-producing linebackers in the league.

Through his first four years in Jerry’s World, the 27-year-old missed his rookie campaign continuing to recover from his left knee ailment but then returned to compile nearly 500 tackles, nine sacks, six forced fumbles, and two interceptions.

Smith never missed a game from 2017-2020 and scored three consecutive seasons as a 100+ tackler in the Cowboys’ defensive interior. His best performance came in 2020, as he notched a career-high 154 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two fumbles, and an interception.

Two years removed from being a Pro Bowler and signing a five-year extension with the franchise, Smith and Dallas parted ways five weeks into the 2021 season amid disagreements with an injury clause on his contract. The sixth-year player migrated to Green Bay for just two games before being cut in under a month and then signed to the Giants practice squad to appear in four contests and collect 19 tackles and a sack.

2022 Recap

The New York Giants brought back Jaylon Smith for the second time on September 20, 2022, and resigned him to the practice squad to start the season. In October, he was elevated onto the active roster and appeared in the team’s next 13 games, including serving as the starting middle linebacker in eleven contests.

During that span, Smith accumulated 88 tackles (46 solos) with one sack, one fumble recovery, and 3.5 stuffs at the line of scrimmage for his best stat line since the 2020 season. 

Those numbers helped him finish second on the Giants’ defense in the regular season, but the postseason would see him rise to the top of the leaderboard. In New York’s two playoff matchups, Smith combined for 21 tackles and one tackle for loss to lead all players and finish one of six members with double-digit tackles in the postseason.

With his efforts concluding in the Divisional Round, Smith brought his career numbers up to 624 total tackles with 11 sacks, six forced fumbles and recoveries, two interceptions, and 21 pass deflections.

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GIANTS UFA PRIMERS: QB Daniel Jones | IOL Nick Gates | RB Saquon Barkley | C Jon Feliciano | IDL Justin Ellis | RB Matt Breida | LS Casey Kreiter | OLB Jihad Ward | Sterling Shepard | IDL Nicholas Williams | DB Tony Jefferson | S/ILB Landon Collins | WR Richie James | P Jamie Gillan | WR Marcus Johnson

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Why the Giants Should Keep Him

Most prominently, Jaylon Smith has a reputation for being the pest within the second level of the defense throughout his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys.

Except for the 2021 season, when he played in three different markets, the linebacker knows how to be a constant presence within the scrum and at least assist in making the critical takedowns to thwart any opposing offense’s drives. He’s been one of his team’s leading tackles in five of six years, which the Giants desperately need out of a position marred with injuries.

While his overall defensive ratings have been average in the past few seasons, Smith is excellent at finishing his tackles and getting pressure in the face of the quarterback.

According to PFF, the former Fighting Irish has been in the upper echelon of tacklers, posting an average 7.6% missed tackles rate in his career and a 6.6% in 2022. He also has 58 total pressures in the same span, with most coming from his 36 hurries that force the quarterback to scramble the play out of the pocket.

Smith has played many more snaps in the run defense than pass rushing, which could cause his lower numbers in certain pressures. However, with more exposure to the Wink Martindale system of heavy blitzes, he could flip the script and help the Giants cause havoc at and behind the line of scrimmage.

The Giants have not had a high-volume linebacker since Blake Martinez was released before the 2022 season. Smith could provide that so long as he gets a fair share of snaps next fall, and that’s one important reason to bring him back as a reinforcement for the position.

Why the Giants Shouldn’t Keep Him

Where he thrives in maintaining his hold on an offense from the first two levels, Jaylon Smith is another unrestricted free agent who runs into trouble shutting down opposing pass catchers in coverage. In his first six NFL seasons, Smith has consistently allowed an opposing reception percentage of at least 75%, translating into a 78.1% career percentage and over 1,900 yards on his resume.

If beaten over the middle of the field or the top, Smith can occasionally get burnt in a chase for the endzone. While he has only given up five touchdowns, the 27-year-old has allowed an average long ball of 48 yards and 9.1 yards after the catch that has surmounted to 1,274 yards in his professional timeline.

In 2022, these issues hit their peak towards the rounding stretch of the regular season. Smith allowed a 100% reception percentage in seven games and crossed double-digits in yards after the catch per reception in five contests, including the final three leading into the postseason.

For a player that will likely receive medium-range reps within the defense next season or when injuries mound elsewhere, the Giants can’t have an experienced aggressor like Smith leaving holes within the second level that will expose the secondary to fighting off large gains.

The Giants could see Smith start 2023 in the middle with Micah McFadden or Darrian Beavers, who are still young and developing, so their veteran teammate needs to be the stronghold of the Giants’ linebackers group.

Keep or Dump?

Jaylon Smith was a defensive phenom during his days with the Dallas Cowboys, and the Giants got a sniff of that in his return to the locker room in 2022. He was instrumental in holding up the efficiency of the linebackers position heading into the postseason and was a lead contributor in New York’s first taste of success at that level in six years.

The ferocity and productivity in the trenches could warrant him a new contract with the Giants. Still, the team may be wary of handing starter’s money to an older candidate with a severe injury history that hasn’t earned as much burn as he did from 2017-2020 in Arlington. Back then, Smith signed a five-year deal worth $64 million with $35.5 million guaranteed, and that won’t come close to the expectation either side should have for a deal.

According to Over the Cap, Smith signed a one-year, $1.035 million contract with the Giants last September that had no guarantees and just a $15,400 dead cap charge should he have been released.

If the Giants want to keep him, and there is a case for them to do so, they might up the ante on Smith’s years and APY to account for a two-season arrangement. They could add in some incentives for snaps played, tackles, or other statistical factors, but the team likely won’t follow the pattern of their NFC East rival in retaining Smith for the future. 

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