Poll: How much are you buying into the Jaylon Smith hype?

It feels like forever since the Cowboys defeated the would-be Super Bowl champions 6-0 (never forget the Cowboys shut out the Super Bowl champs) on New Year’s Eve.

There have been plenty of storylines to choose from over the offseason. A big release, an emotional retirement, and all of the normal ticks of the clock have entertained us so far this calendar year.

Maybe it’s because of all of that that Jaylon Smith is flying under the radar(ish), or maybe it’s because we don’t want to let ourselves believe. Whatever the case, Jaylon Smith is living life like a high school junior (braces off) and looking to be the big man on campus now.

Of course, Jaylon hasn’t been a big man since he was literally on a campus back at Notre Dame. We’ve spent two years talking ourselves into the godbacker being a thing, and last season dulled those hopes a bit. The thing is, the hype is back, folks.

There’s no denying that this is the highest Jaylon’s ceiling has felt since the Cowboys drafted him in 2016. No brace means the drop foot issue is as fixed as ever, and that’s great for a linebacker that experience difficulty cutting in hard directions last season.

Part of what makes Jaylon’s appeal seem so strong even after a rough start to his career is the Cowboys’ first-round pick, Leighton Vander Esch. With LVE commanding the middle of the defense Jaylon won’t be expected to shoulder as significant of a load. While it’s certainly disappointing that Jaylon might not be what Leighton could be, maximizing Jaylon’s strengths (there are definitely some) is crafting quite the specialized weapon.

It’s June which means hope is higher than ever. That being said, hope when it comes to Jaylon Smith comes with a bit of a warning label. How do you feel, BTB? How much are you willing to believe?