Jaylon Smith doesn’t anticipate any mental hurdles when he returns to University of Phoenix Stadium on Monday night, the site where he sustained a major knee injury on Jan. 1, 2016.
On that fateful night at the Fiesta Bowl, Smith saw his draft status plummet and a long road to recovery arise. He tore the anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments and had nerve damage in his left knee that sidelined him his rookie season in the NFL.
But Smith has returned and finds himself as the starting middle linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys heading into Monday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.