Aldon Smith was a high-profile comeback story in the NFL this past season with the Dallas Cowboys.
The former All-Pro had some success especially early, posting 5.0 sacks, 14 quarterback hits and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in 16 games with the Cowboys. But Smith was not long for Dallas.
The Cowboys have informed Smith they are moving on, per ESPN's Ed Werder. He will be a free agent.
Source: The #Cowboys have informed pass-rusher Aldon Smith that they have decided to move on from him after one season. After being reinstated last season following a series of suspensions, Smith had five sacks playing his first NFL games since 2015. He is a free agent.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) March 24, 2021
Smith was suspended from 2016 to 2019 due to a myriad of issues, including violation of the league's substance-abuse police. The former San Francisco 49ers star was also arrested on suspicions of domestic violence, hit-and-run and DUI charges.
Aldon Smith worked hard to clean up his act and eventually applied for reinstatement, which was granted by the NFL. He seemed to thrive almost immediately in Dallas, racking up 4.0 sacks, 20 combined tackles and six quarterback hits in his first three games. His production tapered off a bit over the course of the year, however.
Maybe Smith will benefit from added offseason conditioning after returning to the gridiron this past fall. In any case, he will take his talents elsewhere after a brief stop with the Cowboys.
Woody Paige of the Denver Gazette opined the Broncos could make for an interesting destination. Paige said Smith had a relationship with current Broncos head coach Vic Fangio when the two were in San Francisco, and Denver could use added help on the edge.
Aldon Smith and Vic Fangio had close relationship in San Francisco, and coach has reached out to him often since and tried to help. The two could reunite in Denver.
— Woody Paige (@woodypaige) March 24, 2021
Now without the Cowboys, Aldon Smith will be looking to get back on the comeback trail with another full season in 2021. Whether that's in Denver or elsewhere remains to be seen.