Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith may be ready to contribute in 2017 after missing his entire rookie season, but it sounds like the former Notre Dame star will be playing at less than 100 percent when he takes the field.
Unfortunately, he may never be at full strength again.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the damaged nerve in Smith’s leg is not regenerating, which means he may end up needing to play with a brace.
#Cowboys exec Stephen Jones was optimistic Jaylon Smith will be effective. Yet the nerve has seen “no significant change,” source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2017
With #Cowboys LB Jaylon Smith’s nerve not firing, he’ll have to play in a game with a brace for drop foot. Would likely be the 1st to do it
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2017
#Cowboys reality now is they are no longer waiting for Jaylon Smith’s knee to fire. They’re proceeding as if it won’t & he’ll play anyway
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2017
Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News notes that former Eagles safety J.R. Reed actually had the same condition that Smith has, and it affected his explosiveness.
Smith tore both the ACL and MCL in his left knee during his last game at Notre Dame, and he fell to the second round of the NFL Draft because of it. The ligaments were surgically repaired, but Smith was left with a condition known as “drop foot,” which can affect a person’s ability to lift their foot at the ankle.
The comments Smith made about two months ago painted a much more optimistic picture of his recovery, but the reality is he may never be the same player he was before his injury.
