Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith, one of the NFL’s best success stories, has signed a contract extension, the details of which are currently pending. Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network first reported the news.
The #Cowboys have reached a long-term extension with LB Jaylon Smith, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 20, 2019
Jaylon Smith, Dallas Cowboys Agree to Extension
The Cowboys drafted Smith with the 34th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Many fans and analysts questioned this decision, as Smith was coming off of a brutal knee injury. Smtih fought his way back onto the field and impressed the Cowboys. Now, Smith and Leighton Vander-Esch have become a stout linebacker duo in Dallas.
In his early playing days, Smith attended Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Smith was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. As a senior, Smith won the Butkus Award for best linebacker in the country and Mr. Football award for the state of Lousiana. Along with linebacker, Smith also played running back in high school. In 2012, Smith helped Bishop Luers to their fourth-straight 2A title game victory, rushing for 150 yards and three touchdowns in the 40-28 win.
As a whole offensively, Smith racked up 1,265 rushing yards on 176 carries with 18 touchdowns to boot. He added 10 receptions for 66 yards and two touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Smith accumulated 72 total tackles, eight sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and seven passes defended. In college at the University of Notre Dame, Smith started all 13 games his freshman year. In those 13 starts, Smith made 67 total tackles, 6.5 of them for losses, forced one fumble, caught one interception, and had three passes defended. In 2014, Smith started all 13 games again, recording 111 total tackles, nine for a loss, three and a half sacks, one forced fumble and two passes defended. In his final collegiate season in 2015, Smith piled up 115 tackles, nine of them for a loss, one sack, forced one fumble, recovered two fumbles, and defended five passes.
So far in the NFL with the Cowboys, Smith has played in 32 total games, starting all 16 last season. In those 32 career games, Smith has 202 combined tackles, nine tackles for loss, five sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one defensive touchdown, and six passes defended.
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