Jaylon Smith has had a microscope on him all offseason, and that lens zoomed in on Smith just a little closer after the injury to Anthony Hitchens's knee Saturday. With Justin Durant waiting in the wings, Stephen Jones was guarded in talking about the potential of moving quicker than anticipated with Smith's playing schedule.

"We'll stick with our plan with [Smith]," the executive VP said after the injury. "You don't jeopardize a guy's future over anything like that, but as you know, Jaylon's coming along. The plan was all along was for him to be ready to play for the Giants. Now are we going to throw him in there for 60-something plays? I don't think so, but a lot of that is just going to depend on what he's ready for. My guess is probably not."  

Smith reaffirmed his health after the game: "I feel very comfortable out there," he said. "I feel like myself." Smith, of course, suffered ligament damage in his knee during Notre Dame's 2016 bowl appearance -- the last game before he entered the draft.

Jerry Jones, however, seems to have a different plan for Smith in the wake of the loss of Hitchens.

"I think the start word is one I'd be careful with," Jones told CBS Sports Radio's 105.3 The Fan. "It could be, but it definitely will cause him to have an accelerated approach to how this year starts for him. So, yes I think it's going to be more activity, more snaps for him right off the bat."  He also said that he viewed Smith and Durant as "one player" replacing Hitchens, which could mean a number of things. It's possible that Smith will simply get a few more rotational snaps than originally planned, while Durant still bears the brunt of the work.

Smith was one of the top prospects in the draft prior to his injury, so highly touted that the Cowboys still spent a 2016 second-round pick on him in spite of knowing how unlikely it was he'd play as a rookie (and some doctors speculated that his career may have been jeopardized). Smith has stuck to the schedule, and he looks ready to play. Whether or not he is will depend on game action -- he's only played 28 preseason snaps -- but if he does see an increased work load with the Hitchens injury it will be interesting to see if he's able to live up to the hype machine that's been around him all offseason.