Dallas Cowboys: 3 Reasons Jaylon Smith moving outside is wise

Jaylon Smith’s Skill Set

As discussed in the intro, Jaylon has a specific skillset that is strong in some areas and poor in other areas. Just like you wouldn’t play DeMarcus Lawrence at safety, or Zack Martin at running back, you don’t want to put a player like Smith at position he’s not particularly suited for.

Jaylon Smith is game-wrecker. He’s a highlight waiting to happen. He’s a runaway train ready to explode anything in his path. He’s at his best when he’s running downhill and at his worst when he’s dropping back. At MIKE, that’s a 50/50 proposition but if he moves outside it will focus more on what he does well and less on what he does poorly.

Jaylon, the pass-rusher

One of Jaylon’s top traits coming out of Notre Dame was his ability to rush the passer. For an off-ball linebacker, Smith was one of the top-rated pass rushers in recent memory. He could blitz inside, outside, and all-around. He attacked QBs and RBs alike in the backfield. Putting him in an outside role in Mike Nolan’s defense promises to give him loads of opportunities to do this. While it will also require him to drop back in coverage, it will be in shallow zones which are much more suited to his ability.

Additionally, Smith’s long arms and heady play will make him an asset against RPOs and Read-options. Plays that multiple Dallas Cowboys opponents in 2020 traditionally lean on. Playing on the outside will make Jaylon a disrupter and that’s what he does best. He’s a game-changer and this puts him in position to be just that in 2020.