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Packers cut Jaylon Smith a few weeks after surprise release from Cowboys

The Green Bay Packers are already moving on from linebacker Jaylon Smith. The Packers released Smith on Tuesday, just weeks after picking him up, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Smith joined the Packers in early October, a day after he was surprisingly released by the Dallas Cowboys. Smith, 26, was active for two games with the Packers, but was inactive for the team's Week 8 contest. He picked up one tackle with the team.

Smith's second release in under a month marks a precipitous fall for the former Pro Bowler. After being selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Cowboys, Smith turned in a promising rookie season. Over the next three years, Smith emerged as one of the better linebackers around the league. He averaged 84.7 solo tackles over that period, making his only Pro Bowl appearance in 2019.

Jaylon Smith with the Packers.
Jaylon Smith lasted less than a month in Green Bay. (AP Photo/Zach Bolinger) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Despite starting all 16 games in 2020, Smith fell out of favor with the Cowboys in 2021. The team selected two linebackers in the 2021 NFL draft, including first-round pick Micah Parsons, which may have signaled Smith had fallen out of favor in Dallas.

Smith appeared in four games with the Cowboys in 2021, starting two of them. He was released Oct. 5, and signed with the Packers the following day.