Priority number one for the Dallas Cowboys in free agency is to sign Dak Prescott. That said, Dallas has a number of players hitting the open market. Pass rusher Aldon Smith is one of those players.

Smith signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys last offseason. That marked his return to the NFL after being out of the league since 2015. Dallas certainly received some backlash for the move, but the Cowboys felt that Smith deserved another opportunity in the league.

The former All-Pro pass rusher got off to a hot start with the Cowboys. Much like how Robert Quinn discovered in 2019, playing opposite of DeMarcus Lawrence definitely has its benefits.

Smith totaled four sacks through the first three games of the season and flashed some of the talent that made him one of the best in the game during his prime. The former 49ers and Raiders defender opened the season with 11 tackles, two quarterback hits, and one tackle-for-loss against the Rams in week one. He later brought down Russell Wilson on three different occasions in week three.

He did hit a wall — only making one sack the rest of the season — but Smith was overall a solid player on an otherwise very underwhelming defense. The question is: do the Cowboys re-sign Smith this offseason, or does Dallas let him walk in free agency?

Pro Football Focus named Cowboys' Aldon Smith the most underrated player at his position in the 2021 free agent class.

As we wait for the 2021 NFL free agency period to begin, Pro Football Focus listed the most underrated players at each position in the class. Jameis Winston was the pick at quarterback, while T.Y. Hilton was the pick at wide receiver.

One current member of the Dallas Cowboys made the list. PFF selected Aldon Smith as the most underrated EDGE on the free agent market. Their reasoning can be found below:

Projected contract: Two years, $15 million ($10 million guaranteed)
After a four-year absence from 2016 to 2019, Smith made his return to the field with the Dallas Cowboys at 31 years of age and managed to record a 70.0 pass-rush grade (34th), 16% pass-rush win rate (20th) and 50 total pressures (20th).

Smith primarily played stand-up outside linebacker, but he also logged considerable snaps all up and down the line. He managed to win as a pass-rusher no matter where he lined up.

Pro Football Focus notes that if he flashed in his first season back in the league, it could mean even better things for next season.

He wasn’t quite the same player we saw in San Francisco, but Smith sure was impressive considering he was out of the league for four whole seasons. If Smith did that in his first season back, one would have to imagine the upside there for Year 2 of his comeback.

Smith has already justified a contract worth $15 million over two years for his 2020 performance, but there’s a good chance he could far exceed that.

Dallas returns Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Dorance Armstrong, and Bradlee Anae at the EDGE position for next season. That room can certainly be upgraded, whether that is through free agency or the draft.

It will be interesting to see how much of an influence Dan Quinn has on personnel decisions, and if he would like to see Smith back in the boat. You can never have too many pass rushers in today's day and age.

Aldon Smith has certainly proven that he knows how to get to the quarterback.

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