Going into this season, most of the focus on the Dallas Cowboys is on offense. They need the running game to bounce back from last year, put Dak Prescott in a more comfortable position to succeed, and they have to do it without their former best outside threat in Dez Bryant.
There are a lot of questions but also a lot of potential on offense, and even if it feels like the main priority before the season starts, there are equally as important things happening on the other end of the field.
When you take into account the lack of outside play makers on the Cowboys, they need players on the defensive side to be making those impact plays on a regular basis. The Cowboys know how steady and dominant their offense can be, but it will not be enough against the top offenses in the league is they are not making the necessary plays on defense.
One of the more intriguing defenisve option for the Cowboys is linebacker Jaylon Smith. The Cowboys know they need to have more play makers on defense, that can make big plays on a regular basis. Physically, Smith has the tools to be arguably the most special athlete on this Cowboys defense, but he needs to be ready to handle everything they will ask from the mental side of the game.
This is the first time there is a sense that Smith is going to be 100 percent for the Cowboys, and it ready to be an every down linebacker. The problem, however, is that the Cowboys are going to be giving Smith some of the more daunting assignments on the field.
Because of his speed, he needs to be able to hold his own in the slot, and put up some resistance to tight ends and running backs while used in the passing games.
Because of his strength, he needs to be the primary run stopper on this roster, and make sure Sean Lee gets the help he needs beside him. On top of that, with Lee’s injury history, having Smith as the top defenisve option in the middle could be inevitable at some point this season.
Given his time with the Cowboys, it it awkward expecting any of this from Smith, who has not done enough at the professional level to suggest he is capable of handling it.
That being said, it is easy to forget now, but Smith was one of the elite defensive prospects in his draft class. He fell to the Cowboys in the second round due to complications, and the Cowboys suffered last season because of it. Even so, his talent was always going to give him more potential than that.
The Cowboys have needed to improve their defense for years now, but they have not made any kind of blockbuster trade or sign some established star in order to improve. They have in grown talent like Byron Jones and Demarcus Lawrence that need to be able to dominate if the Cowboys want a top defense this year.
The cowboys need to look to their young talent on defense, and Smith needs to be as good as anyone else on that unit if they are going to have a chance at catching he Eagles in the division. The Cowboys need their young talent on defense to make sure their skills translate on the field, and they do not have much room for any transition period.
The most exciting part about Smith is that he has the talent to do everything the Cowboys need from him. He needs to stay healthy, but he can be one of the more physically versatile linebackers in the NFL, and having him play with a healthy Lee could create one of the more stellar linebacker duos in the NFL.
Both of them know they are capable of stopping the run game, but they might be even better in the passing game, and that will be crucial in a league that is looking for more ways to create mismatches in the secondary.
The Cowboys are still discovering a lot about their young talent right now, and they need those players to come up big. They have young studs in Ezekiel Elliot and Prescott who need to have a great season on offense, but it might end up being just as important for Smith to play like the player that people originally thought he was capable of becoming.
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