Dallas Cowboys: What we learned about Jaylon Smith and the MIKE

The Dallas Cowboys were finally able to see Jaylon Smith on the field in recent minicamps. Here’s what they learned about Smith and the MIKE position.

The Dallas Cowboys made waves when they selected injured linebacker, Jaylon Smith, in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Recovering from a catastrophic knee injury that involved nerve damage and a case of drop foot, Smith had a large element of risk with his selection.

After sitting out all of 2016, Smith’s nerves finally started showing improvement. His drop foot still requires a brace, but Smith has shown in many of agility drills the brace doesn’t seem to slow him down much.

For the first time since joining the Dallas Cowboys in 2016, Jaylon Smith saw action with the defense. Working on an every-other-day schedule, the media were not privy to majority of his action. But we saw some and more importantly we saw Anthony Hitchens.

this career jack-of-all trades; master-of-none may have just recast himself as the starting MIKE in 2017

Anthony Hitchens quietly put together a solid offseason. Entering his fourth year in the NFL, Hitch has his eyes on the middle linebacker position (MIKE). No stranger to game action (632 snaps last season), Hitchens has been a heavy contributor on the Dallas Cowboys ever since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 draft.

His versatility has provided him opportunity, making Hitchens one of the most valuable linebackers on the Cowboys. But this career jack-of-all trades; master-of-none may have just recast himself as the starting MIKE in 2017.

For as excited as I am about Jaylon Smith’s progression and subsequent potential, I can’t overlook the way Anthony Hitchens appears to be playing these days. At only 25-years-old, Anthony Hitchens is a very young fourth-year player. He’s just now hitting his physical prime and as he grows more instinctive with the cognitive demand of the MIKE, the stars may now be aligning perfectly for him to secure the starting role.

This is no indictment on Jaylon Smith either. You won’t find a bigger supporter of his in Cowboys Nation. I was lobbying back in February of 2016 for the Cowboys to take a gamble on Smith in the second round. You can imagine my joy when it actually came to fruition. But until we see Jaylon in live full-contact action, his future is purely speculative.

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Anthony Hitchens’ future, on the other hand, appears to be now.

Hitchens may not offer the immense potential that Jaylon Smith offers but he may not be far off. He’s a hard worker and smart kid. He’s been used in a variety of roles since joining the Dallas Cowboys and if he really is peaking both physically and mentally, he may just be the starting MIKE in 2017.

We’re all Cowboys fans and both Jaylon Smith and Anthony Hitchens are Cowboys. It’s perfectly acceptable to be optimistic about them both. You can bet I’ll be cheering hard for Jaylon when training camp opens in five weeks but that doesn’t mean I’ll be overlooking Hitch.

Next: The left guard position looking is strong for the Cowboys

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The MIKE position looks strong in 2017 and we primarily have Anthony Hitchens to thank for that.

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