Jaylon Smith release: Dez Bryant says Cowboys shouldn't have messed with roster

Dez Bryant may understand better than anyone else what it feels like to be cut by the Dallas Cowboys. Bryant knows what it is to be released after achieving success and only slightly failing to live up to expectations.

In short, Bryant understands how the NFL works and why the Cowboys released Jaylon Smith. Perhaps this is why Dez felt more qualified than most to speak on the situation.

Dez Bryant on Jaylon Smith's release

On October 5, 2021, Dez Bryant tweeted this in response to Jaylon Smith being released:

"I understand it's a business but you don't mess with a team whenever everything going right..."

Bryant was once considered the franchise for the Dallas Cowboys. He signed a five-year, $70 million contract a year after being designated with the franchise tag. For the 2014 NFL season, Bryant was selected as a first-team All-Pro selection and had an NFL-best 16 touchdowns.

He has produced 41 total touchdowns between 2012 and 2014 while averaging 1,312 receiving yards per season.

His production was not the same over the next three years after signing the mega-deal. Bryant averaged just 678 yards per season. He missed ten games due to injury during this stretch and totaled just 17 touchdowns.

Dez and Jaylon Smith's similarities and differences

Similar to Dez Bryant, Jaylon Smith was also a productive member of the Cowboys, as he finished the 2018 season with an overall grade of 84.0, according to PFF. A year later, the Cowboys rewarded Smith with a five-year, $64 million contract extension with $35.5 million guaranteed.

The deal was intended to keep him in Dallas until 2024.

Despite being rewarded with a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2019, Smith soon experienced a decline in his production, as he was given as overall grade 70.2 by PFF.

In 2020, the linebacker had its worst season in his career, with an overall grade of only 54.2.

With the emergence of rookie Micah Parsons, the return of Keanu Neal, and veteran Leighton Vander Esch acting as a solid backup, the Cowboys preferred to release Smith, than risking paying a $9.2 million injury guarantee in 2022.

Like Bryant, the massive new contract came full of expectations. With Smith failing to meet those expectations and other players performing at a higher level,, the Cowboys did not think twice before releasing the veteran LB.

Bryant and Smith's situations are not exactly identical, however, because the Cowboys released Smith before the season ended (which saved them money for the salary cap) but Bryant was released during the 2018 off-season. By cutting Jaylon Smith mid-season, Dallas will have to pay him a $7.2 million base salary.

This raises questions about why the Cowboys released Smith when they did. Could something have happened internally that soured the relationship between player and team? If so, then Bryant may have only heard one side of the story.