The Dallas Cowboys entered this offseason uncertain of where Tyler Smith would play along the offensive line. With the struggles of left tackle Tyler Guyton at the end of last season–both on the field and with a late ankle injury–coach Brian Schottenheimer raised the possibility that Smith could move to left tackle, away from the left guard spot that had seen him earn three straight Pro Bowl selections. The Cowboys went away from that, in the end, as Guyton improved enough to win the tackle job, seemingly setting in stone the team’s left side on the line.
Until Monday, that is. Just six days until the Cowboys kick off the NFL season, the team announced–quite out of left field–that Smith would be having surgery on this thumb and would be moved to injured reserve. That’s an absence of four weeks, at minimum, and Schottenheimer said it could, in fact, be six weeks before Smith returns.
Cowboys Announce Tyler Smith Surgery
The Cowboys had the holiday weekend off, but returned to practice on Monday, and that was when Schottenheimer dropped what was no doubt a news bomb on the attending reporters: Smith had been dealing with a hand injury throughout training camp and with just days to go before Week 1, decided to have surgery on his hand.
Said Schottenheimer: “Tyler Smith is going to have surgery on his thumb tomorrow morning. Something that he’s just been dealing with. He’ll probably go on IR/DTR, four to six weeks. Just at the end of the day, felt like couldn’t do the things he had to do at a high level. We know this is a long season and so, it’s unfortunate but that’s why we coveted TJ Bass and having TJ Bass back. He has played some good football for us and will continue to do so.”
Cowboys Will Start TJ Bass
He will be replaced at guard by Bass, a former undrafted free agent discovery by the Cowboys. Bass has proven to be one of the more reliable backups linemen in the NFL, but guard is his best position. The hope is that he can hold down the fort until Smith returns.
Bass has played 48 games in three seasons with the Cowboys, including 10 starts.
“Ton of confidence. You know, Tyler Smith is a great player but we feel really confident in TJ and he has put great film on here. He has played next to Cooper Beebe, he has played next to Guyton. So, that’s nothing new, the communication and all that stuff,” Schottenheimer said.
Tyler Smith Unsure of Injury Timing
Schottenheimer said that the Cowboys could not pinpoint the moment Smith got injured, and suggested it had been a progressive problem.
Said Schottenheimer: “Over time. He’s such a tough guy. I can’t say enough about Tyler and just the toughness, but at the end of the day, we can’t pinpoint when it happened, but it’s just one of things that, at the end of the day, we made the decision, we all did, that, hey the best thing is to get in front of this thing, and it is a long season, so let’s get it fixed.
“At the end of the day, you always see if you can play through these things, he has done things like that. Like a lot of guys have. They’ve been able to play through them. Unfortunately, when you are an offensive lineman, grip strength is important and things like that are really important. We know he is a quick healer, and we want to get it fixed. He will be back for too long.”
Cowboys Announce Stunning News on 3-Time Pro Bowler’s New Injury