Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith's recovery from a serious leg injury has been arduous, nearly putting his NFL future in serious jeopardy.

However, he continues to make promising progress as time has worn on, constantly improving his physical ability and strength in his left leg. According to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, head coach Jason Garrett spoke glowingly of Smith, stating that he looks better physically the more he plays.

“He’s gotten better and better physically, coming off the injury, doing his hard work. The more he plays, you see he gets more and more comfortable, more and more confident and he simply plays better,” Garrett said. “Understanding the play, understanding your reads, and when the ball is snapped you just react instinctively. . . . I think we’re seeing more and more of that from Jaylon.”

This is quite encouraging given how far Smith has come after missing his entire rookie campaign due to the injury he suffered in his final collegiate game, severely damaging the peroneal nerve in his left leg. He had to rebuild the strength and feeling back in his leg, requiring him to have to wear a brace that limited his mobility.

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Smith was able to return to the field this past season, putting together a productive first year by playing in all 16 regular season games while notching 82 tackles. However, he did have some obvious limitations on the field, which was largely due to him still regaining the strength and feeling back in his leg while dealing with a brace.

Over the last few months, he has progressed enough to shed the knee brace. The Cowboys hope Smith can become a star in the league as a key piece of their defense for the long haul.