Should Steelers try and sign recently released Jaylon Smith?

With the Cowboys recently releasing Smith, the Steelers should be quick to call and see if they can add him to the roster.

The Cowboys made a relatively shocking in-season move when they decided to part ways with linebacker Jaylon Smith. A move that seemed purely cap-related, the Cowboys are moving forward with their new linebacking crew and Smith didn’t fit that mold. Now a free agent, Smith would be a smart addition for the Steelers if he was willing to sign with them.

Smith had a tough path to the NFL. One of college’s best linebackers and an insane athlete, Smith suffered a devastating knee injury that forced him to fall into the second round of the 2016 draft. He didn’t see the field until his sophomore season, and since then he has been a tackling machine. He plays the run well and uses his impressive athleticism to make contact early with runners.

His coverage skills are another story. While his athleticism makes him seem like a natural coverage linebacker, the fact of the matter is that Smith has never excelled there. Ask him to play north and south and stop the run, yes, but when moving laterally and trying to cover, he has shown that he can’t do that well. Despite that fact, he excels as a two-down, run-stopping linebacker.

Should the Steelers pursue Smith?

The short answer is yes. I mean, why wouldn’t you. The Cowboys owe Smith a good chunk of guaranteed money yet, so his contract for the Steelers would be extremely cheap. On the flip side, he would be great depth at inside linebacker and could rotate in with the starters to keep them fresh and well-rested. He is still extremely young as well, so there shouldn’t be much of a drop-off in his play in the near future.

My only issue is it seems unlikely he would sign with the Steelers. Every team can afford him given the fact the Cowboys will be paying a large portion of his salary via guaranteed money. Thus, Smith would naturally want to go to a team that would play him the most so he can keep his value high as a free agent next offseason. While the Steelers would certainly play him, he has better starting value on other teams.

While Smith would certainly make sense for the Steelers and be a smart addition to the roster, it seems unlikely that he comes to the team. He would be a good rotational player that would make our inside linebackers that much deeper, but he likely wants to go somewhere that will play him more than what the Steelers would be willing to do. While a possibility that he joins the teams, it would be pretty shocking at this point.