Jaylon Smith's contract with the Cowboys is a great story as well as a good comp for a Joe Schobert extension

Jaylon Smith's contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys is inspiring in addition to serving as a comp for a potential framework for the Cleveland Browns and Joe Schobert.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith has agreed to a 5-year, $64 million extension with $35.5 million guaranteed. This is a great story, considering the path Smith was forced to travel to get here. A projected early first round pick, he suffered a terrible knee injury that included nerve damage while playing his final game for Notre Dame.

The Cowboys selected him with the 34th overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, which was a highly controversial pick at the time, because of the uncertainty with the longterm health of his knee. It took almost three seasons for Smith to get back to resembling the player that was so highly touted in college, but he's gotten there and now he's being rewarded for it.

This contract is also the latest comp for a potential Joe Schobert extension with the Cleveland Browns. Smith is now the third highest paid inside linebacker in the league behind C.J. Moseley of the New York Jets and Bobby Wagner of the Seattle Seahawks.

How the money is laid out and paid has yet to be released publicly, but the guaranteed figure of $35.5 million and the average per year of $12.8 million are relevant to Schobert and the Browns.

If the Browns are smart like the Cowboys were and get a deal done before he gets to the open market, they could keep a top 10 off ball linebacker in the fold, give the Browns a steadying force in the center of their defense and reward one of their own.

Short of a miracle, Chris Kirksey is in the last year with the Browns and none of their other linebackers are making anything significant from a financial standpoint. Schobert would be paid to the level of his talent and the respect he has within the defense.

Rookies Sione Takitaki and Mack Wilson can continue to develop and grow along with Schobert, who will lead that group and that room, giving them what could be a nice tandem of linebackers for the next several years.

There has been zero indication about how the Browns view Schobert and how committed they are to keeping him on the Browns, which is creating a lot of uncertainty on that side of the ball for the future. Getting the deal done now, giving Schobert certainty with his future could ensure they aren't paying too much.

Much like J.C. Tretter, the Browns should be working to extend Schobert now. The market is reasonable. His talent warrants it and the Browns need to start getting some of these deals done, so they aren't put in a position where they are letting talent walk out the door they shouldn't or paying through the nose to retain them.