Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith has reportedly been turning heads during OTAs with the Las Vegas Raiders.
After not playing at all last season, Smith is aiming to secure a spot on the 53-man roster in his second stint with the Raiders.
Smith signed with Las Vegas following a tryout during rookie minicamp and hasn’t looked back.
The 29-year-old Indiana native is approaching this opportunity with Las Vegas like his career depends on it. Smith recorded the first interception of Raiders OTAs, per team reporter Levi Edwards.
Linebacker is a position of need for the Raiders after they did not re-sign breakout star Robert Spillane, who signed with the Patriots as a free agent.
Smith is competing for a role in an inside linebacker group that has more questions than answers.
Newly signed linebackers Elandon Roberts and Devin White are the projected starters. The rest of the linebacker room features unproven players, including Cody Lindenberg, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
While it has been three years since Smith last played more than 10 games in a season, he had a productive year with the Giants in 2022. Across 11 games during the 2022 season, he compiled 88 tackles, three tackles for loss, and 31 defensive stops, per PFF.
With the Cowboys, Smith proved to be a productive player early in his career - his battle to overcome an horrific knee injury at Notre Dame is legendary - and made the Pro Bowl in 2019. However, after signing a five-year, $63.75 million extension with Dallas in 2019, Smith’s production began to steadily decline—leading to his release during the 2021 season.
Hopefully Smith will find his footing with the Raiders and resurrect his career.
