There is much happening around Dallas Cowboys star left guard Tyler Smith, who injured a ligament in his thumb during the summer–he’s not quite sure when, exactly–and sought to fight through the pain as training camp progressed. That was until, at least, the pain got to be too much and the decision was made for Smith to have surgery on the ligament and to put him on the injured reserve for the first four weeks.
That’s what Smith and the Cowboys did. But now, we’re entering Dallas’ Week 5 game against Tampa Bay, and Smith is eligible to come off the IR and possibly play on Thursday. In fact, the Cowboys officially put Smith into his 21-day practice window on Monday, making him eligible to play whenever he is ready in the next three weeks. That includes Thursday night.
Tyler Smith Is ‘Possible’ to Play on Thursday Night
We’ve heard from plenty of folks around the Cowboys in recent days about whether Smith will play and how ready he figures to be. But we had not heard from Smith himself, at least not until Monday afternoon.
Smith is not positive he will be on the field, despite multiple reports that he is expected to play. He is certainly planning, though, to give it his all.
He said: “I think it’s possible. We’re not ruling anything out. Obviously, this is limited reps this week just with a quick turnaround on Thursday, but we’re going to do some work (Tuesday), kind of see how it feels. And then ultimately when I feel ready, when the coaches feel like I’m ready, it’s boots on the ground and we’re rolling.”
Tyler Smith Injury ‘Extremely Frustrating’
Smith is not entirely new to NFL injuries, but he has already missed four games in his Cowboys career, which he noted, is the most he’s sat out. Smith missed the first two games of the 2023 season, then rested in preparation for the playoffs in the season finale. He’s never missed four straight games like this.
“It’s extremely frustrating. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve gone through in my football career. I’ve gone through things, but nothing quite like this,” he said.
Much will be decided by how Smith practices on Tuesday. Per Jon Machota of The Athletic: “Cowboys All-Pro LG Tyler Smith said he thinks it’s possible that he can play Thursday. He’s not 100% but he’s ‘night and day’ from where he was. He said his conditioning is good. Tomorrow’s practice will be a key factor in determining if he’ll play. He has to face some live reps.”
Cowboys All-Pro Breaks Silence on ‘Frustrating’ Injury as Return Looms