New York Giants sign former Dallas Cowboys linebacker

The New York Giants have signed former Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith to their practice squad, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Dallas released the former second round pick on Oct. 5.

After his release, he briefly played with the Packers this season, appearing in two games and recording one tackle. Ultimately, they too released him on Nov. 2.

A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Smith spent his collegiate career with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was a standout linebacker for the team, winning the Butkus Award in 2015. He recorded 115 tackles (nine for loss), five passes defended and two fumble recoveries as a junior before declaring for the 2016 draft.

Smith spent the first four years of his career in Dallas, quickly making a name for himself. He started every game from 2018-20 and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2019. However, he fell behind on the depth chart in 2021, starting just two of the six games he played with the Cowboys.

The signing of Smith comes with the Giants placing linebackers Oshane Ximines and Trent Harris on the COVID-19 reserves list. Additionally, New York has four linebackers on injured reserve.

Given how thin the Giants are at the position group, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the former Cowboys linebacker play this week.

Should they activate Smith from the practice squad ahead of this week, he would face his former team right away. Dallas and New York will play at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

The Cowboys (9-4) are currently the four seed in the NFC, but still very much in the running for the top playoff spot. Their remaining schedule features all three NFC East foes as well as Arizona, the current three seed.

Although not technically out of the playoff race, New York would need a lot of luck to make the postseason with a current record of 4-9.