The departure of Byron Jones to the Miami Dolphins made cornerback arguably the biggest need on the Cowboys roster. While they haven’t been able to replace Jones with an established starter, that hasn’t stopped the Cowboys from adding depth at the position.
The Dallas Cowboys have signed free-agent CB Saivion Smith.
The @dallascowboys signed free agent CB Saivion Smith (Alabama) on Friday.
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) April 10, 2020
The signing of Smith marks the third cornerback signed by Dallas during this free agency period. The Cowboys retained Anthony Brown, and added Maurice Canady.
Smith, Brown, and Canady are set to join returning contributors Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis in the cornerback room.
Smith last played football for the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL’s innagural season. The newest Cowboy was once a top high-school prospect who finished his college career at Alabama after starting at their rival, LSU. The former SEC corner’s last NFL stint was with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2019 preseason, but he was released in the final cuts prior to the regular season.
The Florida native started 12 games as a junior for the Crimson Tide in 2018 and racked up 60 tackles, three interceptions, and five pass breakups. Despite that production on one of the top programs in the nation, Smith wasn’t drafted and would later be signed by Jacksonville.
As he is yet to play in a real NFL game, it is unlikely that the Cowboys will rely heavily on Smith on the outside. However, at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds Smith seemingly has the physical profile and talent to make an impact as a rotation cornerback or on the Cowboys revamped special teams unit.
This latest signing shouldn’t be enough to impact the Cowboys draft strategy in a few short weeks. Dallas’ first selection, pick No. 17, has been commonly linked to cornerbacks Kristian Fulton from LSU, and CJ Henderson from Florida.
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