Dallas Cowboys: What to do about Jaylon Smith

CowboyRoy

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I'm not sure FO sees Jaylon as anywhere near the problem fans see/media see. I mean we've seen nothing from coaches/Jerry to suggest his starting position is in jeopardy. Not to mention, name the last player Jerry paid not to play. In other words, good or bad, he will start as they're paying him starting pay,



https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/what-s-next-for-lb-what-to-do-about-jaylon

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FRISCO, Texas – As always, this is the uncertain time of the year.

Roughly one-third of NFL rosters turn over every offseason as each club looks for ways to improve its fortunes moving forward. The Cowboys are no different, as they'll face many tough decisions in the coming months.

With that in mind, we're evaluating each position on the roster and what choices face the front office in 2021. Part 4 focuses on the linebackers.


He should be a June cut for cap savings. Jerry will never do it.
 

blueblood70

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Alright. I've thought a lot about Jaylon Smith and this is what I've decided:

  • He's not as bad as he looks, it's just that when he does look bad, he looks laughably bad.
  • In his entire life he has never been as bad at football relative to his peers as he was in 2020.
  • Everyone on this defense looked bad in the new defense installed over zoom.
  • We have a new DC and I trust that DC to better match scheme to talent.
  • Fans hate Jaylon more than DCs hate Jaylon.
When you put it all together, what I would probably do is let it ride and either give him another year or end up cutting him when I go down to my final 53.

I know a lot of you will disagree on that but I just don't believe we're going to find so many good LBs this offseason that we have no room for Jaylon Smith on the roster. As much as fans hate on Jaylon, at worst he's still better at playing LB in the NFL than all but like 100 people on this planet. Unless 5 or 6 of those 100 are all wearing stars in August, we're better off with him.

Deal with the money next year, when there's less penalty for moving on. No, it's not ideal, but the bed has been made and now we lie in it.
:hammer:I agree thanks for saving me time typing lol
 

RoboQB

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One day soon, but not soon enough, we will witness Jaylon trying to make a roster somewhere
and getting cut unceremoniously. And it will be a glorious day on this board.
 

Verdict

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We didn't even get a bargain for LVE. He was a reach even assuming no medical issues. Looked like he was worth it as a rookie, though. I still haven't given up hope on him.

For Jaylon, I think his leg regressed in 2019, and unless they *know* it has improved, they should cut him. I see no prospects for him being a quality LB with his evident physical limitations.
If the Cowboys cut him, I will be ok with the move. If they keep him, I could see him rebounding to 2018 form, or confining to suck. Neither would surprise me.

But if you are the team, roster building, you draft a player or get a player in free agency that is good enough to start and you pencil in Jaylon as the backup as far as roster building intent is concerned. Assuming he can play a high level after watching him last year is betting against yourself.
 

Whyjerry

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Well I can you I have been going nuts with the draft simulator and I am grabbing 2 LBs. I am moving on from LVE and Happy Feet.
 

Big D

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Put good DTs infront of him and see if he can get back to his 2018 self

if not the trade him
This is the answer. We all thought Jaylon and LVE were stars on the rise what changed? Defensive coordinator and DT depth.
 

DasSchnitzel

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Well I can you I have been going nuts with the draft simulator and I am grabbing 2 LBs. I am moving on from LVE and Happy Feet.

Well if "Whyjerry" used one of these garbage draft simulators to ignore every position of need to draft multiple off ball linebackers, then by all means let's cut all of our starting linebackers.

You guys are clueless. Just fans with players you don't like that you want off the team and you have absolutely no plan to get there besides "cut him and figure it out later". Then y'all clap each other on the back like you really got it figured out, and mostly shout down anyone who points out that it's obviously more complicated.

If Jerry walks in today and literally spends cap to do nothing but create yet another major hole on defense and his entire strategy is "meh someone will be there on day 2" then he's just going to be doing more of the same stuff that makes yall hate him as GM.

Bunch of hypocrites with no vision just looking to be mad after a bad season and you continue to pick Jaylon as the whipping boy.

Honestly I still haven't heard one person offer a compelling argument that Smith is better than LVE, at all. LVE can't even stay on field. Funny how LVE escapes this degree of hate.

But that doesn't matter to whyjerry, who's gonna cut the entire 2nd level of the defense and then miraculously in one offseason install:

A new DC and coaching staff
2 new starting LBs
Multiple starting CBs and safeties

I thought we might address DT this year, we still doing that, too?

Where exactly we gonna find like 8 guys who can start without going broke?

You guys have no idea what you're talking about. Just fans that hate a guy for reasons and it's easier to join the "cut him!" yelling bandwagon than to actually put together a plan. We'd be hosed if this board replaced Jerry as GM. We'd have a defense comprised entirely of 6th round pet cats that would get devastated while Jaylon Smith goes and has an average career elsewhere and we wonder why we chose Quinntaneous Murray the 4th out of Dayton Valley Community College to be our starting Mike.

Jaylon isn't the long term answer and he isn't good but for christ sake can someone in this thread say something more intelligent than "Jerry is dumb! Cut Jaylon!"
 

jterrell

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There is no real decision to be made here.
You have a LB need regardless of Jaylon as your 2nd, 3rd and 4th LB are all unreliable and incapable of heavy snap counts.
You contractually are going to ride with Jaylon another year minimum. He may well be overpaid that year but he fits a drop dead need on your team and he is getting paid either way.

What you should do is try to reduce the share of snaps and the overall load Jaylon has to own for this defense.
I've seen Jaylon's interviews... he doesn't need to call plays. Ideally he'd be a Mike or Will that plays Sam when you deploy one and not an every down Mike that can be targeted with crossing patterns and change of direction. .
Reduce the ask of him and let him go hit people without every misread being a 20 yard gain or TD.
Let him man cover guys he can actually man cover and not slot WRs.
Stop asking him to read and react as that is trash.
The last time Dallas won with a read and react defense was with Tom Landry.
Dallas entire defense has been built around twitch then they switched to a strength based take on and toss model.
It failed miserably.
 

817Gill

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154 combo tackles.

need more.
Really have no idea why you peddle this tackle argument. It’s literally the easiest argument for Jaylon to debunk. A tackle doesn’t hold weight if it’s made 10 yards downfield. From Rotoworld:

“While Smith racked up a career-high 154 tackles over 16 games in 2020 to lead the Cowboys, adding five passes defended, two fumble recoveries, 1.5 sacks and an INT, he was frequently out of position and made too many of those tackles downfield rather than near the line of scrimmage.”

https://www.rotowire.com/football/player.php?id=10801

Bob Sturm in the Athletic illustrated it as well.
 

Whyjerry

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Well if "Whyjerry" used one of these garbage draft simulators to ignore every position of need to draft multiple off ball linebackers, then by all means let's cut all of our starting linebackers.

You guys are clueless. Just fans with players you don't like that you want off the team and you have absolutely no plan to get there besides "cut him and figure it out later". Then y'all clap each other on the back like you really got it figured out, and mostly shout down anyone who points out that it's obviously more complicated.

If Jerry walks in today and literally spends cap to do nothing but create yet another major hole on defense and his entire strategy is "meh someone will be there on day 2" then he's just going to be doing more of the same stuff that makes yall hate him as GM.

Bunch of hypocrites with no vision just looking to be mad after a bad season and you continue to pick Jaylon as the whipping boy.

Honestly I still haven't heard one person offer a compelling argument that Smith is better than LVE, at all. LVE can't even stay on field. Funny how LVE escapes this degree of hate.

But that doesn't matter to whyjerry, who's gonna cut the entire 2nd level of the defense and then miraculously in one offseason install:

A new DC and coaching staff
2 new starting LBs
Multiple starting CBs and safeties

I thought we might address DT this year, we still doing that, too?

Where exactly we gonna find like 8 guys who can start without going broke?

You guys have no idea what you're talking about. Just fans that hate a guy for reasons and it's easier to join the "cut him!" yelling bandwagon than to actually put together a plan. We'd be hosed if this board replaced Jerry as GM. We'd have a defense comprised entirely of 6th round pet cats that would get devastated while Jaylon Smith goes and has an average career elsewhere and we wonder why we chose Quinntaneous Murray the 4th out of Dayton Valley Community College to be our starting Mike.

Jaylon isn't the long term answer and he isn't good but for christ sake can someone in this thread say something more intelligent than "Jerry is dumb! Cut Jaylon!"

Did you not get your fish oil today? I was being sarcastic. I understand frustration is high here but don’t be a jerk.
 

CalPolyTechnique

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Well if "Whyjerry" used one of these garbage draft simulators to ignore every position of need to draft multiple off ball linebackers, then by all means let's cut all of our starting linebackers.

You guys are clueless. Just fans with players you don't like that you want off the team and you have absolutely no plan to get there besides "cut him and figure it out later". Then y'all clap each other on the back like you really got it figured out, and mostly shout down anyone who points out that it's obviously more complicated.

If Jerry walks in today and literally spends cap to do nothing but create yet another major hole on defense and his entire strategy is "meh someone will be there on day 2" then he's just going to be doing more of the same stuff that makes yall hate him as GM.

Bunch of hypocrites with no vision just looking to be mad after a bad season and you continue to pick Jaylon as the whipping boy.

Honestly I still haven't heard one person offer a compelling argument that Smith is better than LVE, at all. LVE can't even stay on field. Funny how LVE escapes this degree of hate.

But that doesn't matter to whyjerry, who's gonna cut the entire 2nd level of the defense and then miraculously in one offseason install:

A new DC and coaching staff
2 new starting LBs
Multiple starting CBs and safeties

I thought we might address DT this year, we still doing that, too?

Where exactly we gonna find like 8 guys who can start without going broke?

You guys have no idea what you're talking about. Just fans that hate a guy for reasons and it's easier to join the "cut him!" yelling bandwagon than to actually put together a plan. We'd be hosed if this board replaced Jerry as GM. We'd have a defense comprised entirely of 6th round pet cats that would get devastated while Jaylon Smith goes and has an average career elsewhere and we wonder why we chose Quinntaneous Murray the 4th out of Dayton Valley Community College to be our starting Mike.

Jaylon isn't the long term answer and he isn't good but for christ sake can someone in this thread say something more intelligent than "Jerry is dumb! Cut Jaylon!"

I bet you whimpered when you wrote that.
 

DasSchnitzel

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I bet you whimpered when you wrote that.

Oh look, another Cowboys Zoner who can't have an intelligent conversation on topic so they switch the discussion to, I guess some kind of weird name calling, idk. Yall are a bunch of walking, talking, Dunning-Kruger graphs as far as football or business strategy is concerned.

Fine, cut Jaylon and everyone else that isn't an all pro. Im sure that'll fix everything.
 

charron

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What some of us armchair GM's do and what Jerry will actually do is completely different. I think he'll chalk 2020 up to bad defensive coaches which is why the DC and DL coaches were fired. In Jerry's mind Jaylon and LVE for that matter were recently pro bowlers and new coaching might bring them back to that level.
 

rnr_honeybadger

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mean we've seen nothing from coaches/Jerry to suggest his starting position is in jeopardy.

Jeez I wonder if that is the problem. This front office is lazy they think the guys they have are the best. In fact when was the last time these guys were challenged in training camp or even during the season? Where is the incentive to perform?
 
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