Cowboys Film Room: Sean Lee, Jaylon Smith proving dynamic

In Smith’s first game action, there was a lot of rust that still needed to knocked off. However, you can see that once he’s healthy, he’s going to be a terror in the NFL. His most impressive play came on a reverse in which he beat a block and made the tackle on the opposite side of the field.

Typically, coaches would advise linebackers to take a different route to the ball as this is a difficult angle for a linebacker to win on, but Smith is so athletic that it didn’t matter:

What also makes Smith different than Lee other than pure athleticism is his size and strength. On Tuesday, Jerry Jones said that Smith, “is one of the strongest players that has ever played for the Cowboys.”

At Notre Dame, Smith was listed at 223 and looked like he might have played at even a lesser weight. To start the year, the Cowboys listed Smith at 240 pounds, but he certainly looks much bigger than that. In the year that Smith missed, he added strength and power to his game. In college, he was more of a run-and-chase linebacker who avoided blocks as much as possible. But now, he’s not afraid to take on guards to fill running lanes:

Where Smith can improve is in his ability to trust his eyes and what he sees. There are quite a few snaps where you can see him hesitate or take a false step and some would point to his injury as to the reason why that is happening.

However, it’s likely from just a lack of live reps as he barely played in the preseason and this being his first NFL game. Remember, he hasn’t played in a real (meaningful) game since January 1, 2016. So plays like this are bound to happen as he learns to trust his instincts and just play football without thinking:

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If Smith can continue to progress at this rapid pace and Lee can stay on the field, the Cowboys’ defense could be drastically better than it was last year. The athleticism of Smith and the awareness of Lee give them one explosive duo that can win against power rushing attacks, but also against spread offenses.

Sunday night provided us a glimpse of the potential of Lee and Smith together and that should be encouraging to the Cowboys and their fans. It won’t be long before this duo is talked about as the best pairing in the entire league. Their ceiling is just that high.