Cowboys expect Jaylon Smith to be ready for OTAs

Jaylon Smith may finally have the chance to get a taste of NFL action in 2017.

The Dallas Cowboys linebacker sat out his entire rookie season due to a major knee injury suffered in the final game of his college career, but he's making good progress in his rehab, according to Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones.

The team expects Smith to be on the field during spring workouts, Jones revealed in a Friday appearance on 105.3 The Fan.

"When you look at how we improve our defense over last year, him and (fourth-rounder Charles) Tapper both, as we all know, were high picks for us that didn't contribute last year," Jones said, according to Jon Machota of The Dallas News. "We certainly have high hopes for both of those guys and feel like they're going to be ready to go here when OTAs and minicamp start."

Smith has already been participating in the early stages of the Cowboys' offseason program, but the team is limited to strength and conditioning work until OTAs get started in May.

"He's doing great," Jones said. "He's making great improvements. We're certainly more fired up than ever that we picked him last year."

Smith was widely considered a top-10 talent before the injury - which included ligament tears and nerve damage - raised concerns that left him on the board until the second round.

He won the 2015 Dick Butkus Award, recognizing the nation's most outstanding linebacker, after racking up 115 tackles and one sack in his final season at Notre Dame.