Following the Stephon Gilmore sweepstakes debacle for the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday, the team officially inked linebacker Jaylon Smith to a deal after his release from the Dallas Cowboys.
The #Packers agreed to terms with LB Jaylon Smith, source said.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 7, 2021
The deal was thought to have been finalized on Wednesday but was delayed until Thursday morning as Smith reportedly combed over all his options. For the Packers, Smith brings another depth piece to the linebacker room.
Smith fell out of favor in Dallas and his role over the course of the year was severely diminished as the weeks went on. Having first-round pick Micah Parsons step up made the decision to let Smith go easier for the Cowboys along with the pending return of Keanu Neal who is making the switch from safety to linebacker.
For the Packers, Smith comes in at a spot that was initially a big area of need but has been filled tremendously by De'Vondre Campbell at the start of the year. While Smith doesn't appear to be the same player he was even two or three years ago, if his role is compacted in a smaller one, he could end up producing at a good rate for Green Bay.
The Packers were rumored throughout all of Wednesday to be the frontrunners to land Stephon Gilmore and it made a ton of sense given the recent injury to Jaire Alexander. After the Carolina Panthers swooped in and grabbed Gilmore, Green Bay shifted their focus to Smith. While he plays a completely different position on the defense the hope for the Packers is that he comes in and has a consistent impact.
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