The next chapter within the Cowboys-Giants rivalry will have one added element this Sunday: Revenge.
Ex-Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith signed with the New York Giants on Friday, the team announced. Signing onto the Giants practice squad, Smith is expected to be elevated in time for Sunday's home game versus Dallas.
Bringing Smith aboard this week was necessary for a Giants defense dealing with several injuries and players on the reserve/COVID list. Earlier this week, standout safety Xavier McKinney and LBs Cameron Brown and Oshane Ximines were three of six Giants placed on the reserve/COVID list while defensive lineman Leonard Williams (triceps) and Austin Johnson (foot) are questionable to play this Sunday.
For a Giants D still trying to fill the void of LB Blake Martinez, who was lost for the season in Week 3, Smith's presence is needed.
How much Smith will play against the Cowboys remains to be seen. The Giants defense gave up a season-high point total in a 44-20 defeat to the Cowboys in Week 5. Entering this Week 15 matchup, the Giants will also be without quarterback Daniel Jones for the third straight game.
Smith, a second-round pick in 2016, quickly flourished for the Cowboys once entering the starting lineup in 2017. Known for both his speed and a tremendous sideline-to-sideline effort, Smith proceeded to start every game for the Cowboys from 2018-2020, leading the team in tackles for two of those seasons and earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2019.
The Cowboys handed Smith a five-year, $64 million extension ahead of that breakout 2019 campaign, bringing assumptions of him being a mainstay in Dallas for years to come. But everything changed in 2021 once new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn took over a Cowboys defense in desperate need of a drastic change in scheme.
After just two starts this season, Smith was released by the Cowboys on Oct. 6. The Packers quickly signed Smith the following day but his stay in Green Bay lasted just two games.
Smith, 26, has compiled 579 tackles (397 solo), nine sacks, two interceptions and six fumble recoveries over the course of his five-year career. His next chance at earning a starting role for good will come against his former team this Sunday.
