Jerry Jones: Cowboys hope to have Jaylon Smith back for the playoffs
Jerry Jones has no intention of putting rookie Jaylon Smith on injured reserve.
By
Ryan Wilson
•
1 min read
Six months ago, Jaylon Smith was destined to be a top-5 pick in last week's NFL Draft. But he suffered a serious knee injury in Notre Dame's bowl game and the linebacker fell out of the first round altogether. But he didn't have to wait long to hear his name called; the Cowboys selected Smith 34th overall, though with the understanding that he would almost certainly miss the 2016 season while he rehabbed his knee.
That was conventional wisdom, anyway. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones, who appears to be rebounding nicely from missing out on Paxton Lynch, said Thursday that "We will not IR" Smith.
This means that the plan isn't to redshirt Smith in 2016 and have him ready for 2017, but hope that he'll be able to take the field by January. Yep, the implication is that the Cowboys are going to the playoffs.
#Cowboys Jerry Jones on @1053thefan - "we WILL NOT IR him (Jaylon Smith). We’ll take a chance he’ll be back for the playoffs."
— Roy White III (@RDubThree) May 5, 2016
So what's the thinking behind not putting Smith on injured reserve?
Jerry says on @1053thefan that the memory of missing Sean Lee in the playoffs two yrs ago influences their decision to keep Smith off IR.
— Roy White III (@RDubThree) May 5, 2016
Now all the Cowboys have to do is get back to the playoffs, and that's not as ridiculous as it sounds for an outfit coming off a 4-12 record. Remember, Tony Romo and Dez Bryant missed most of last season, and a team without a franchise quarterback is destined to have a top-10 pick in the draft.
Meanwhile, Smith fully expects to play this season, too.
"Absolutely. Never doubt God," he said shortly after the Cowboys drafted him, via the Dallas Morning News.
Simply put, maybe there's a chance we'll see the "next black Luke Kuechly" ahead of schedule.
