Jaylen Smith's return is a hidden production upgrade at strong-side linebacker

Smith has 43 total tackles this season and will make his seventh start after missing last week with a hip injury. That's 7.2 tackles per start, a 129-tackle pace over 18 games, and it explains why veteran Michael Griffin II — who started in Smith's place last week — moves to a depth role. The transaction is not just injury recovery; it's a tackle-volume correction.