Jaylon Smith really isn't supposed to be here.
"No one thought I'd ever play the game of football again," Smith said Wednesday. "And I was able to play all 16 games last year."
A debilitating knee injury robbed him of his rookie year -- but his comeback in 2017 earned him the Ed Block Courage Award today, at the Cowboys Kickoff Luncheon.
And what we've seen of the 2018 version of Jaylon Smith appears to be much better than 2017.
"What we're seeing out there - I mean, y'all see it firsthand in practice, y'all are out there and you've seen him in the preseason games. He's playing at a high level right now," Cowboys VP Stephen Jones said.
Plainly put:
"I'm back now," Smith said. "My role has increased tremendously."
Ever since he's been here, the question with Jaylon Smith has been 'when will he be 100%'. And that question has always come with a bit of a negative connotation. Today though, that was flipped on its ear, when Cowboys VP Stephen Jones admitted that Smith isn't quite yet 100%, but put a decidedly positive spin on that reality.
"As good as he's playing right now, our trainers would tell you might have even a little more improvement to do, in terms of that injury," Jones said, "that it's not 100% yet, it's in the 90s, our guys would say, but... he could make even more improvement as we move forward."
And as a result, Jaylon is very confident, and ready to show what he can do now.
"Extremely excited. But it's expected. Prior to my injury, everyone pretty much knows the high caliber guy I was, and the player... and it's gonna be some great things this year."