What Jaylon Smith was thinking as he raced 69 yards for a touchdown

Jaylon Smith saw nothing but daylight in front of him after scooping up a fumble Sunday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As he raced down the sideline, outrunning everybody to the end zone, his face couldn’t resist the joy.

It wasn’t his odds-defying comeback after a near, career-ending knee injury that most thought he’d never overcome three years ago that was racing through his mind. It wasn’t even the NFC East title that the Dallas Cowboys were about to clinch with their 27-20 win on Sunday.

No, it was a fumble a recovery three years ago when Smith, an All-American linebacker at Notre Dame, recovered a fumble against Navy but failed to score.

“I picked a fumble up and got caught. That’s what came in my head,” Smith said. “I was telling myself I wasn’t going to get caught again.”

And it wasn’t even close.  Smith showed off his speed that was supposed to help make him a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Instead, after surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL, plus nerve damage in his left knee from an injury in his last collegiate game, the Cowboys rolled the dice on Smith with the 34th overall pick. He missed the entire 2016 season but returned to play all 16 games in 2017. In 2018, he has had an All-Pro level season while becoming the leader of the defense.

“I’ve had a chance to put that on display,” he said. “It’s a blessing, the speed that God has blessed me with, and I was able to put that on display.”

This story was originally published December 24, 2018 at 11:21 AM.