Dallas Cowboys Drastic Move! Real Reason For Jerry Jones' Tyler Smith Talk?

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have spent this entire offseason casually suggesting that even if long-time starting left tackle Tyron Smith were to leave via free agency (which he did, to the Jets), the most appealing response would be to leave third-year offensive lineman Tyler Smith at left guard.

He's outstanding there, just as Zack Martin is at right guard. They never moved Martin from his position of dominance, even though tackle is "more important.'' Why move Tyler?

On Sunday night, we found a reason to "Why Move Tyler?'' - or at least why it's suddenly a conversation piece that it hadn't been for months.

The "why''? Because Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is at the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando making it a talking point.

Zack Martin, Tyler Biadasz, Connor Mcgovern, Tyler Smith

Wesley Hitt/GettyImages

“I’d say that’s a good, viable thing,'' Jones said on Sunday night. "Keep the idea there. Don’t dismiss that idea.''

Fair enough. It is possible that Dallas picks a starting left tackle in the first round in the April NFL Draft (Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton? Georgia’s Amarius Mims? Washington’s Troy Fautanu?); that would allow Tyler to stay at guard. Dallas could also draft a center (Jackson Powers-Johnson?) at No. 24, as Tyler Biadasz is gone to Washington. And there are other possibilities as well.

But we have a theory as to why Jones didn't shoot down the idea of a lineup re-shuffle. That theory? Stop us if you're heard this before, but ...

"Sometimes it seems like the Cowboys are a marketing company that plays football on the side.''

Jones also mentioned that Tyron left because Dallas couldn't afford to keep him, which isn't really true. Actually, Dallas chose not to afford to keep him. So the Cowboys plow forward, armed with the knowledge that Tyler can keep dominating at guard but could indeed also dominate at left tackle (him serving as the heir to Tyron was the original plan when he was taken in the first round two years ago) ...

At the same time, let's be armed with Jerry's possible motivation. Discussions about leaving players at their established spots do not create headlines. "Revelations'' about drastic moves do.

 So off Jerry goes, making sure the world here's him on a move regarding Tyler.

“Certainly,'' Jones said, "he’s potentially, I want to say, a great player at left tackle.”