The Las Vegas Raiders looked to an interesting place to try and improve their defense.
They just signed a player who missed the entire 2024 season and had only played in one game in 2023.
But after a weekend tryout, Vegas decided former Cowboys Pro-Bowl linebacker Jaylon Smith was worth bringing aboard.
Multiple reports indicated a deal was reached Sunday evening.
Smith was once a second-round pick by Dallas out of Notre Dame.
He had injury issues in college, but then he played 16 games in each of his first four NFL seasons. He had three consecutive seasons of more than 120 tackles from 2018-2020.
But his games played since then have gone 10-13-1-0.
Injuries returned, and now Smith is just hoping for this one final shot.
He played one game for the Raiders in 2023, totaling two tackles.
Now 29 years old, Smith is a low-risk add for the Raiders.
If he's at all healthy, he can still likely be an impact contributor.
If he's still hurting, it won't cost much of anything to get rid of Smith later in the summer.
For Smith, it's simply a chance to prove he can still play, and he'll do his best to seize the opportunity.
