Jaylon

Smith

Callaway ended the 2024 season on the Buccaneers’ roster, and has briefly spent time on both the 49ers’ and Raiders’ rosters this month. The Raiders also released WRs Phillip Dorsett and Colin Johnson, plus LB Jaylon Smith.

Smith lands the deal after an ostensibly solid showing at the Raiders’ rookie minicamp last weekend. Head coach Pete Carroll is known for embracing competition across the roster and the Raiders’ inside linebacker depth chart gets murky behind starter Elandon Roberts. Free agent signing Devin White is coming off a shaky, two-team 2024 season, and sophomore Tommy Eichenberg was bothered by a knee injury last year, logging just 79 defensive snaps. It’s a good landing spot for Smith. He may be able to work his way into the lineup after spending a year away from the game.

Smith’s star burned brightly for a few seasons with the Cowboys after battling back from a knee injury suffered in his final college season (2015) that included an ACL tear, an MCL tear and nerve damage. He spent the 2022 season with the Giants before bouncing between the Saints, Steelers and Raiders’ rosters in 2023. He logged just 25 snaps that year. Now 29 years old, Smith will once again attempt an uphill climb toward a comeback.

Smith last played for the Raiders, appearing in one game for them. He was released in November and now finds a new team in the Steelers a month later. Last season, Smith started 11 games for the Giants, totaling 88 combined tackles in 13 total games. The Steelers now add him to reinforce their banged-up linebacking corps.

Smith was cut by the Saints during roster cut downs and was re-signed to the practice squad soon after. The veteran linebacker appeared in 13 games for the Giants last season, totaling 46 tackles and one sack. The former second-round pick is now on his fifth team in three seasons and will look to prove he still has something left to offer over the final 10 weeks of the regular season.

The Saints will attempt to bring Smith back on the practice squad, but as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport points out, the veteran linebacker will have other options. A former second-round pick of the Cowboys, Smith has bounced around three teams since being let go by the Cowboys in 2021. Smith appeared in 13 games for the Giants last season, totaling 46 tackles and one sack.

Smith has been out of the league since getting released from the Packers in November. ESPN’s Ed Werder reports he’s expected to be called up with the Giants dealing with injuries at linebacker and play against his former team, the Cowboys, in Week 15. Smith is unlikely to play more than a few snaps but should help with the Giants’ gameplans.

Smith lasted all of two games with the Packers, logging 27 snaps and, most recently, earning a healthy scratch in favor of Oren Burks, De’Vondre Campbell and Krys Barnes. Perhaps another team will sign him to their practice squad.

26-year-old Smith was officially released by the Cowboys Wednesday, and the signing won’t be official until Thursday. But Green Bay is where Smith wanted to be after getting his walking papers from Dallas. The former No. 34 overall pick of the Cowboys simply wasn’t making plays in Dallas and fell out of favor with Micah Parsons, Leighton Vander Esch, and Keanu Neal soaking up the snaps. Smith was at Notre Dame with Packers coach Matt LaFleur when he was the Fighting Irish’s QBs coach in 2014.

Smith started all 16 games for the Cowboys last season and led the team with 154 tackles, but he was frequently scrutinized for his lack of speed and, perhaps more importantly, effort. He started Weeks 2 and 3 for Dallas before playing just 40% of snaps in Week 4. The Cowboys still owe Smith $7.2 million for this season. He’s free to sign elsewhere in the meantime.