Ryan McFaddenMay 11, 2025, 06:03 PM ET
- Ryan McFadden covers the Las Vegas Raiders for ESPN's NFL Nation. Prior to ESPN, McFadden was a Denver Broncos beat reporter for the Denver Post. McFadden also wrote about the Baltimore Ravens and University of Maryland athletics for The Baltimore Sun.
Jaylon Smith will attempt to resurrect his career in Las Vegas. The veteran linebacker is signing with the Raiders after a weekend tryout at rookie minicamp, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday.
Smith, 29, last played in 2023, appearing in one game for the Raiders. He totaled two tackles in 25 defensive snaps in Las Vegas' Week 9 victory over the New York Giants. He was later waived.
He didn't play in the NFL last season.
He began his career with the Dallas Cowboys, who drafted him in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.
Smith played five seasons with the Cowboys and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2019 after collecting 142 tackles, nine passes defended and a pair of forced fumbles.
Smith bounced around teams during the 2021 campaign. He was released by Dallas after four games but signed with the Green Bay Packers. Following two games with the Packers, Smith was let go and later picked up by the Giants.
His last productive season came in 2022 when he registered 88 tackles in 13 games for the Giants. Smith has started in 69 of 88 career games, totaling 626 tackles, 11 sacks and six forced fumbles.
In Las Vegas, Smith will compete for a role in an inside linebacker room that's filled with question marks. Newly signed linebackers Elandon Roberts and Devin White, who is also trying to revive his career, are projected starters. The rest of the group, however, consist of unproven players, including Cody Lindenberg, who was selected in the seventh round of last month's draft.
