The Las Vegas Raiders have welcomed an old Dallas Cowboys friend to their training camp roster.

Jaylon Smith, a name player with “America’s Team,” first got a tryout at the Raiders rookie camp. It apparently went well enough to earn him a deal.

Smith, 29, is a former second-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2016. He didn’t see his first on-field action until 2017 after he recovered from a knee injury.

Upon return, Smith made an immediate impact on the Cowboys‘ defense, recording 202 tackles in his first two seasons and turning into a starter. His career is highlighted with a Pro Bowl selection in 2019 and a career-high 154 tackles the following year. …

And it is highlighted by Jerry Jones’ Cowboys opting to reward him with a new $58 million contract that didn’t quite pan out.

He totaled 516 tackles, 9 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in just over four seasons in Dallas. Four games into the 2021 season, Smith was waived by the Cowboys and bounced around the league while his production saw a decline.

Smith spent time with the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Raiders. He last played in 2023 with Las Vegas, but only suited up for one game that season.

Smith’s “want to” is beyond question; his rehab from a Notre Dame knee injury that some NFL teams thought would prevent him from every playing at all is one we termed a medical miracle.

Now after taking 2024 off, Las Vegas is giving Smith another shot at making the team to continue his NFL career.