That the Cowboys released linebacker Jaylon Smith came as a surprise to many, especially at the time of the season in which it occurred. However, it was something to be expected sooner or later. Smith knew he was the weakest link in the linebacker corps, and he didn’t take the opportunities he had to remove that tag. Now, with his departure, it was time to shine for one of the rookies to arrive in Dallas this year: Jabril Cox.
Chosen in the fourth round of the 2021 Draft, the linebacker from LSU was considered one of this year’s “steals”. This, in part, because many specialists projected Cox as a second or third round pick. However, the Cowboys seized the opportunity to add him as an extra boost to their linebacker corps.
Before the draft, many experts noted that Cox performed better in cover duties than in ground defense. However, the linebacker proved otherwise during the preseason, being one of Dallas’ most prominent young players during the preseason. And the statistics back it up.
Jabril Cox is going to be good. Clip 1. pic.twitter.com/pfcL8hRTFT
— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) August 22, 2021
After the Cowboys’ first three preseason games, Cox was the team’s third-highest-rated linebacker. This, according to data from the statistics website Pro Football Focus (PFF). Cox had a score of 80.1 at the time, trailing Keanu Neal and Micah Parsons. On the other hand, Jaylon Smith was second to last among the team’s seven linebackers at that point in the preseason, scoring 60.8.
Cowboys LB preseason grades so far via PFF:
Keanu Neal 95.1
Micah Parsons 91.0
Jabril Cox 80.1
Leighton Vander Esch 75.4
Anthony Hines III 66.1
Jaylon Smith 60.8
Luke Gifford 42.6— Jeff Cavanaugh (@JC1053) August 24, 2021
This performance by Jabril Cox, of course, greatly pleased the Cowboys coaching staff. Besides, the doubts regarding the other linebackers were cleared in the first four games.
So far, Micah Parsons has lived up to expectations, including as a defensive end. Also, the experiment of using Keanu Neal as a linebacker worked, and Leighton Vander Esch has shown good performance. On the contrary, Jaylon Smith continued to show the same failures of 2020, this despite the change of defensive coordinator and having a smaller role this year. This partly prompted his departure, thus opening up an opportunity for Cox.
A new role on the team for Cox
So far, Jabril Cox had been a major player on special teams in Dallas. In four games, the rookie has played 72 snaps on this unit (64% of total snaps). Meanwhile, he had only participated in four defensive snaps, all of them in Week 3 against the Eagles.
Now, with the departure of Jaylon Smith, Cox becomes the Cowboys’ fourth linebacker behind Micah Parsons, Keanu Neal and Leighton Vander Esch. This implies a greater participation of the rookie in defense. And this could happen in the next meetings, even starting this Sunday.
Recall that fellow rookie Micah Parsons has been filling the defensive end role due to casualties at that position. Especially motivated by the injury of DeMarcus Lawrence. This implies that Cox could see more participation with Neal and LVE, or even replace one of them in rotation. Thus, the LSU product will see more action than it has had so far.
Darian Thompson on the blitz with Jabril Cox showing up again???????????? pic.twitter.com/LDNnsw7WM9
— Andre’ Jackson {3-1} (@therealdre_jack) August 22, 2021
There’s no question that the Cowboys have Jabril Cox going forward. Although he has things to improve, he offers the skill set that every linebacker should have in the current NFL: size, size, athleticism and good skills when it comes to covering tight ends and running backs. As we saw, Cox outperformed Jaylon Smith in the preseason. Now, it’s time for the rookie to show the Cowboys that they made the right decision by picking him.
