The former Cowboys linebacker finds a new home in the NFC.
This has been a strange week for the Dallas Cowboys despite the fact that they are 3-1, atop their division, and have the look of one of the best overall teams in the NFL. Things feel a bit different because the Cowboys made a somewhat shocking move (as far as the timing of it was concerned) on Tuesday night when they released linebacker Jaylon Smith.
Since then many have been wondering just where Smith would end up and we now have our answer. He is headed to the Green Bay Packers on a one-year deal.
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The Packers are in sore need of linebacker depth and Smith could provide that for them, especially if he can recapture some of his old form. Clearly they are hoping that he can provide some stability for the middle of their defense.
If you are wondering why it was the Packers who wound up with Smith you don’t need to look too far past their head coach. Green Bay’s man main Matt LaFleur was on staff at Notre Dame during Smith’s sophomore year in South Bend so the two go a ways back. LaFleur spoke about what he remembered from Smith prior to the Cowboys matchup against the Packers in 2019.
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was the quarterbacks coach at @NDFootball in 2014 when Cowboys LB Jaylon Smith was a sophomore.
On Wednesday he spoke about Jaylon’s journey and who he sees Jaylon as today, five years later.
(via @packers) https://t.co/swrJapt5rk pic.twitter.com/DPD8Edqxdd
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) October 2, 2019
The Cowboys will not see the Packers this year unless they meet in the playoffs which would be incredible theater for a number of reasons. Green Bay does figure to be a playoff team so we will ultimately see how Smith ends up helping them out.