Report: Jaylon Smith's knee hasn't improved, playing this year unlikely

The Dallas Cowboys' hope that second-round pick Jaylon Smith will play as a rookie could be fading with each passing day as his surgically repaired knee fails to progress.

There has been no significant improvement in Smith's condition since the draft, ESPN's Ed Werder reports, making it unlikely the linebacker will play in 2016.

The Cowboys knew this when they shocked the football world by selecting Smith with the 34th overall pick.

Smith tore his ACL and LCL and suffered nerve damage in his knee during the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, his final game of college football. He had surgery Jan. 7 and was unable to participate in workouts ahead of the draft. Medical testing revealed Smith could miss the entire season.

Nonetheless, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones suggested after the draft that Smith won't be placed on injured reserve in hopes he will be ready to play by the playoffs. However, the far more likely scenario is the Cowboys give Smith a "redshirt" rookie season in the interest of maximizing his long-term value.

"He's going to have a 10-year career," a Cowboys representative told Werder. "We just don't know when it will start."