The Dallas Cowboys had one of the stronger defenses in the NFL this past season, and much of that had to do with the performance of Jaylon Smith at linebacker.

Smith had a monster 2018 campaign, racking up 121 tackles, four sacks, a couple of forced fumbles, a pair of fumble recoveries and four passes defended, and Pro Football Focus notes that he was one of the top pass-rushing linebackers in the league:

The 23-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Notre Dame, was originally selected by the Cowboys in the second round (34th pick overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Jaylon Smith did not play at all in 2016 as he was recovering from a knee injury, but he went on to appear in all 16 contests during the 2017 campaign, finishing with 81 tackles, a sack and a couple of forced fumbles.

The Cowboys are coming off of a season in which they won 10 games and captured the NFC East Division title, marking their third division crown since 2014. They then went on to defeat the Seattle Seahawks in the wild card round of the playoffs for what was just the franchise's third playoff win since 1997. Dallas then proceeded to lose to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round the following week.

With all of their star players returning and with another year of experience under their belts, the Cowboys — helped by Jaylon Smith — are favorites to repeat as NFC East champions and are considered a dark-horse pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.