Nerve In Jaylon Smith's Knee Regenerating; LB Can Lift His Toes & Foot
By: Josh Clark
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DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - When Cowboys COO Stephen Jones proclaimed last Friday on 105.3 The Fan that he was "more fired up than ever" that the team drafted Jaylon Smith and the linebacker was "making great improvements." ... It was definitely attention grabbing, but it wasn't surprising to hear Jones talk glowingly about a player.
Well, today, we learned why he was so excited about the linebacker's recovery.
NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport said earlier Monday that the nerve in Jaylon Smith's knee is starting to regenerate and the linebacker can now lift his toes and foot.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed the report at the Cowboys pre-draft press conference telling reporters that Smith's doctors are very excited about the feelings he's getting in his foot area.
While Jones did say his "toes are moving" he didn't specifically say he can lift his foot, as Rapoport reported.
The linebacker is already planning on taking the field this season with a brace to help with his drop foot condition, however, Jones speculated on Monday that Smith may not need the brace to play.
ALERT: .@thejaylonsmith dropfoot still issue, per #Cowboys Jerry. 'Not as much an issue as it was 3 wks ago ... He's liftin' those toes' pic.twitter.com/x0wZ0w646X
— fishsports (@fishsports) April 24, 2017
When asked if drop foot was still an issue, Jones said it's "not as much an issue as it was three weeks ago."
The second-year pro has been participating in the team's voluntary offseason workouts at The Star in Frisco. The Notre Dame standout missed the entire 2016 season after recovering from a severe knee injury he suffered while playing for the Fighting Irish.