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Las Vegas Raiders are giving a veteran player who was with the former regime a chance to make the team

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Justin Churchill | Last updated May 11, 2025 10:33 AM ET

A few years ago, the Las Vegas Raiders tried to give a guy who was once one of the best at what he did in the league another chance. It's not that he was a bad guy who needed a second chance because of his off-field actions. No, this guy just started to see his game decline in a major way.

And the Raiders tried to resurrect that and take advantage of the signing. But it didn't work. That was in 2023, and now they are trying again.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Raiders invited Jaylon Smith, the former linebacker, to their minicamp on a tryout basis. And, when you look at the LB room that the Raiders currently have, it's clear they are doing anything they can to make it better.

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Raiders give LB Jaylon Smith another chance

Smith, a former second-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys, missed the 2016 season recovering from an injury but returned in 2017, showing promise. By 2018, he was a full-time starter, and in 2019, he made the Pro Bowl with 142 tackles. That year, he signed a five-year, $64 million extension with $35.5 million guaranteed. However, in 2021, rookie Micah Parsons took over, and Smith’s role shrank a bit, even with Parsons playing some snaps in pass rush up on the line of scrimmage. The Cowboys ended up releasing him.

After Dallas, Smith’s career involved brief stints elsewhere. He joined the Green Bay Packers in 2021 but was cut after two games. He then signed with the New York Giants’ practice squad, earning a roster spot and starting 11 games in 2022 with 88 tackles.

In 2023, he moved between the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad, the Las Vegas Raiders, whom he played one game with and was shortlooy waived after the game, and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad. In 2025, at age 29, he has now tried out at the Raiders’ rookie minicamp, aiming for a comeback.

With Devin White and Elandon Roberts the likley starters in the LB room, and the rest of the guys behind them being sixth or seventh round guys, mixed in with a few UDFA guys here and there, they need some bodies.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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