The Dallas Cowboys have gone 2-2 to this point, with a Thursday night home game against the 0-4 Buccaneers looming and a bit of good news hitting for the team’s decidedly banged-up roster. The injury that started the team’s wave of pain back on Labor Day–there have been two significant injuries in just about every week since–was the hand surgery that star left guard Tyler Smith needed to repair ligament damage that he had been managing all through the summer’s training camp. Smith was put on the injured reserve, which guaranteed he would sit for the first four weeks of the NFL season.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer at the time set Smith’s return date at four-to-six weeks into the year. But he also said at the time that Smith is a fast healer. And he may be proven right, as the Cowboys now have opened the 21-day practice window on Smith, the first step toward getting him back on the field.
Schottenheimer said on Monday that both Smith and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown will practice on Tuesday and get a gauge for where they are.
Cowboys Opening Tyler Smith Practice Window
The news comes from Tommy Yarrish of the Cowboys’ team website.
Writing on Twitter/X, Yarrish reported: “The Cowboys have opened All-Pro guard Tyler Smith’s 21-day practice window.”
Now, the practice window extends three weeks for players who need that much time to get themselves back into shape and might want the option of being on the roster but not playing until they’re ready. Because Smith’s injury is to his hand, his conditioning should be fine, and he is not likely to have any setbacks between now and Thursday night against Tampa.
The Cowboys did well to hold the fort with TJ Bass replacing Smith at guard, but Smith is a former All-Pro and a Pro Bowler. Teaming him with a vastly improved Tyler Guyton at left tackle should finally give the Cowboys the line–on the left side at least–they’d been envisioning for the past two seasons.
Cowboys Announce Major Tyler Smith Injury Move Before Week 5