Smith (knee) will be placed on injured reserve Tuesday, ending any chance he might have had of playing this season, David Helman of DallasCowboys.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

It was always an extreme long shot that the nerve in Smith's knee would regenerate quickly enough to allow him to get on the field in 2016, but even that small chance has now been snuffed out. There's no guarantee that the second round pick will ever even play in the NFL, but Smith will have the entire offseason to continue his rehab and hope he can regain functionality in his surgically repaired knee.

Smith (knee) is expected to be activated from the NFI list in the near future, the Dallas Morning News reports. "That doesn't mean anything will change with Jaylon in terms of his routine," Cowboys vice president Stephon Jones said Monday. "I don't actually see him [returning to the field], even though he's eligible to practice -- just to extend your period. If we weren't to activate him, then they would certainly be done if they don't start practicing."

EDGE Analysis

The Cowboys have reached the point of no return with their pair of players on the non-football injury list -- also, Darren McFadden (elbow) -- and while Smith isn't ready to practice, the door is now ajar for the rookie to make an appearance this season, however unlikely that may seem. Instead, Smith will continue to tend to the nerve issue in his surgically-repaired left knee.

Smith has begun running and doing linebacker drills, but the nerve in his knee has yet to regenerate, The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram reports.

EDGE Analysis

The team still hasn't ruled Smith out for this season, but his ability to suit up in 2016 (or indeed, play in the NFL at all) will ultimately depend on whether or not the nerve re-fires following the gruesome knee injury that ended his career at Notre Dame. The second round pick is eligible to return to practice on Oct. 17 and the Cowboys would have until Nov. 28 to determine whether they want to add him to the 53-man roster or move him to injured reserve.

Smith (knee) was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday, Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News reports.

EDGE Analysis

By adding Smith to this list, the Cowboys will effectively keep their second round pick sidelined for the first six games of the 2016 season. Reports indicate that Smith is likely to be placed on IR once those six weeks pass. Entering the season, there was a small glimmer of hope that Smith could maybe find a way onto the field this year, but it appears the rookie won't be ready to showcase his health until 2017.

Smith (knee) was placed on the active/non-football injury list Friday, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Smith continues to deal with nerve damage to his left knee, which was an unfortunate side effect of tearing his ACL and MCL in the Fiesta Bowl with Notre Dame on Jan. 1. However, the nature of the injury didn't stop the Cowboys from using a second-round pick on the linebacker during the 2016 NFL Draft. Afterward, executive vice president Stephen Jones acknowledged that he may not play this season, but owner/GM Jerry Jones later wouldn't shut the door on Smith achieving active status late in the season or during the playoffs, if the Cowboys were to earn a berth. In any case, Smith is likely destined for the IR/designated-to-return list to start the season due to his boss' perceived hope.

Smith (knee) has experienced "no significant improvement" in his injured nerve thus far and is deemed "unlikely" to play in 2016, per ESPN's Ed Werder.

EDGE Analysis

Smith (knee), a product of Notre Dame, tore both the ACL and MCL in his left knee during the Fighting Irish's Fiesta Bowl appearance on Jan. 1. Consequently, Smith is experiencing nerve damage in the same knee, as well as his left ankle. Now, nearly six months removed from the catastrophe, the responsiveness in his knee doesn't seem to have improved. Once a candidate to be selected within the top-10 picks of the draft, Smith fell to Dallas in the second round because his recovery is reportedly contingent on the nerve tissue repairing itself. In other words, there is no timetable for his recovery, and until the rookie begins to evidence progress in any capacity, Smith's chances of lacing up in 2016 will continue to diminish.

Smith (knee) has experienced "no significant improvement" in his injured nerve thus far and is deemed "unlikely" to play in 2016, per ESPN's Ed Werder.

EDGE Analysis

Smith (knee), a product of Notre Dame, tore both the ACL and MCL in his left knee during the Fighting Irish's Fiesta Bowl appearance on Jan. 1. Consequently, Smith is experiencing nerve damage in the same knee, as well as his left ankle. Now, nearly six months removed from the catastrophe, the responsiveness in his knee doesn't seem to have improved. Once a candidate to be selected within the top-10 picks of the draft, Smith fell to Dallas in the second round because his recovery is reportedly contingent on the nerve tissue repairing itself. In other words, there isn't no timetable for his recovery, and until the rookie begins to evidence progress in any capacity, Smith's chances of lacing up in 2016 will continue to diminish.

Smith (knee) has experienced "no significant improvement" in his injured nerve thus far and is deemed "unlikely" to play in 2016, per ESPN's Ed Werder.

EDGE Analysis

Smith (knee), a product of Notre Dame, tore both the ACL and MCL in his left knee during the Fighting Irish's Fiesta Bowl appearance on Jan. 1. Consequently, Smith is experiencing nerve damage in the same knee, as well as his left ankle. Now, nearly six months removed from the catastrophe, the responsiveness in his knee doesn't seem to have improved. Once a candidate to be selected within the top-10 picks of the draft, Smith fell to Dallas in the second round because his recovery is reportedly contingent on the nerve tissue repairing itself. In other words, until his knee begins to evidence any form of a recovery, Smith's chances of lacing up in 2016 will continue to diminish.

Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones said Thursday that Smith (knee) would not be placed on IR, leaving open the possibility that he could play in 2016, ESPN's Todd Archer reports. "We'll take a chance he'll be back for the playoffs," Jones said.

EDGE Analysis

The belief that he could able to play this season goes a long way towards explaining why Jones and the Cowboys were willing to select Smith as early as they did in the draft. Until the nerve in his knee actually shows signs of re-firing, however, any attempt to put a timetable on his recovery is fairly futile. If IR is off the table, expect the team to put a NFI (non-football injury) designation on Smith, which would sideline him for the first six weeks of the season and then give Dallas another six weeks to determine whether they want to activate him or not.

The surgery on Smith's knee was performed by the Cowboys' team physician, Dr. Dan Cooper, and the organization felt that had a good grasp of his situation and recovery prognosis when they drafted him, Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com reports. "We just think he's going to be a great football player," executive VP Stephen Jones said Friday. "He may not play this year, which we accept, but I think what he ultimately is going to be is certainly worth investing our second-round pick."

EDGE Analysis

The upside with Smith is clear, as before his knee injury he was expected to be one of the top five players in his draft class, but how much risk the Cowboys are taking with the pick isn't, as the sad story of Marcus Lattimore remains fresh in everyone's minds. Dallas has had mixed success when it comes to taking linebackers with checkered medical records in the second round, as Sean Lee mostly panned out while Bruce Carter is now on his third organization, but Smith's ceiling is much higher than either of them. It likely won't be until at least 2017 before we know whether this gamble paid off.