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When the Cowboys open the season against the Giants on Sunday Night Football, Dallas middle linebacker Jaylon Smith is confident he’ll be on the field.

Smith played in a team-organized golf tournament today and told reporters on the course that he’s in good shape and expects to play in the Cowboys’ September 10 season opener.

Still, there are reasons to be concerned, namely that Smith is still wearing a knee brace and is unsure whether his nerve damage will ever heal sufficiently that he can play without it. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says Smith is ready for organized team activities.

“Jaylon will be practicing,” Jones said. “What we want to do is keep him fresh. We’ll probably alternate days with him. When we get to those OTAs, you’ll probably see him every other day.”

If Smith can get on the field in pads at OTAs, that’s the strongest sign yet that he can, indeed, get on the field for real in Week One, a year and a half after suffering a gruesome injury in the last game of his college career.