Origin: LT It is unlikely Tyron Smith will rejoin the Cowboys

I can not tell you how in good shape I believed we were in with him as we headed into the playoffs, and how he was doing and his health, so that is where I am going with this: to definitely obtain something that would have him on the field. I believed we were exactly where you wanted to be. And I thought coach Mike McCarthy deserved a lot of credit for pushing it to the point where we had him perfect going into the postseason.”

Smith has not participated in a full season since 2015, although playing 14 games in 2023. He has struggled with severe injuries to his elbow, hamstring, neck, and back, but last season, he and the team worked out a practice schedule that kept him prepared for the big game while minimizing his weekly contact. He recorded an 89.1% pass block success rate and a 78.8% run block victory rate throughout the season, earning him a spot on the second team of the All-Pro team.

Smith, drafted ninth overall in 2011, became the first offensive lineman the Cowboys had selected in the first round since 1981. Smith turns 34 in December. As a rookie, he played right tackle, but he eventually switched to left tackle and spent almost ten years as one of the finest in the game. He has been an All-Pro four times and named to the Pro Bowl eight times.

Tackle would become the Cowboys’ most pressing need going into the upcoming draft if he were to depart. With the intention of using him as their left tackle of the future, the Cowboys selected Tyler Smith in the first round of the 2022 draft. However, Smith has performed so admirably at left guard that the organization may decide to keep him on the inside, earning him a spot in the Pro Bowl in 2023. The Cowboys have selected tackles Josh Ball, Matt Waletzko, and Asim Richards in previous years, but none of them seem prepared to start for the team right now.

At offensive tackle, the Cowboys have a lot of alternatives in the draft that they might choose from with the 24th overall pick.