Getty Cowboys LT Tyron Smith, QB Dak Prescott
Bleacher Report recently compiled a list of what each NFL team must do to help its quarterback next season.
For the Dallas Cowboys, columnist Alex Ballentine suggested acquiring the successor to stalwart left tackle Tyron Smith, who missed the majority of the 2020 campaign due to a neck injury.
The Cowboys don’t have to replace Smith right away. He’s still under contract through 2023 and carries a fairly large dead cap charge until then, when he would cost $3.6 million to cut or trade. But heading into 2021 without a strong backup plan would be foolish.
Smith’s injury has devastated the offensive line all season. The Cowboys are starting Brandon Knight at left tackle with Terence Steele at right. The two are ranked 80th and 79th, respectively, of the 82 tackles PFF has graded this season.
Assuming the Cowboys see the value in Dak Prescott after his ankle injury left the Cowboys a complete mess, they should be investing to protect him from another injury. Finding a blue-chip prospect to play right tackle in preparation of taking over for Smith whenever the team moves on should be a priority.
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Smith’s Status
The perennial Pro Bowler, who turned 30 on Dec. 12, inked an eight-year, $97.6 million deal in 2014 that keeps him under contract through 2023. He’s due to collect $10.5 million in base salary and count $14.025 million against the possibly stagnated salary cap in 2021.
Dallas made a significant move with Smith’s contract back in August. The team converted $8.9 million of Smith’s 2020 base salary into a signing bonus, freeing roughly $6.6 million of immediate space. It also added a void year in 2024 to lower future cap charges.
The Dallas Morning News reported at the time the Cowboys’ plan involving Smith was to “roll space into next season,” whereas Sports Illustrated’s Mike Fisher confirmed the front office was “kicking the can” with Prescott’s long-term status in mind.
There can be speculation about what the Cowboys could do with the money before it’s needed for Prescott, who of course is playing on the $31.409 million tag this year, will cost $37.7 million to tag next year, and is the target of the Cowboys in terms of a long-team deal.
So the converting of $8.9 million of base salary into signing bonus (as noted by NFL Network) can be construed as offering some faith in the career of Tyron Smith. And it can be a in-case-of-emergency weapon now. But most of all, it’s for Dak Prescott … to the Dallas Cowboys a very justifiable reason to “kick a little can.”
Prescott, an impending unrestricted free agent, is expected to receive the franchise tag for a second straight year — at a cost of $37.7 million — if the sides cannot agree to a multi-year pact that could be worth in excess of $40 million annually.
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