Cowboys' Jaylon Smith: Unlikely to play in 2016

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.

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.