Cowboys Practice Plan: Can New OL Jason Peters Join Rookie Tyler Smith as Week 2 Starter?

Rookie left tackle Tyler Smith was a lone bright spot in a game in which Dallas failed to score a touchdown and lost quarterback Dak Prescott to injury.

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys are moving on from a night in which nothing went right in their 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

And part of "moving on'' is evaluating Sunday and trying to fix that - in terms of scheme and personnel - for a Week 2 visit from the Cincinnati Bengals.

Offensively, Dallas only scored three points on the night and was three of 15 on third down. ... and that is in part an offensive line problem.

Rookie left tackle Tyler Smith allowed just two pressures on 69 snaps against the Bucs, seemingly holding his own against Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea and Pro Bowl edge rusher Shaquil Barrett. So ultimately, he is obviously part of the solution.

Where else can Dallas - with left-side starters Tyron Smith and Connor McGovern now out due to injury - solicit help?

"Definitely,'' said coach Mike McCarthy in response to CowboysSI.com's question about possibly "accelerating'' the plan to involve newcomer vet Jason Peters, the nine-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman who came aboard last week with a plan to give him two weeks to "ramp up.''

"We're all excited to have Jason here,'' said McCarthy of the 40-year-old Peters. "But until we get to work in the field ... He has input in how we're moving forward; there's a level of conditioning that we need to get to.

"So hopefully we can take a big step here in these next couple days.''

Dak Prescott (who will be in the building today) is out for a month or more after thumb/hand surgery, with QB Cooper Rush taking over. Protection will be key.

Dallas would like to feature Ezekiel Elliott (and Tony Pollard). The O-line can help make that happen.

And Tyler Smith can be a big help.

For a comparison of Tyler's work: The no. 7 pick in this year's NFL Draft, Evan Neal (Giants), also allowed just two pressures in Week 1. Meanwhile, Charles Cross (Seahawks) and Ikem Ekwonu (Panthers), two rookie offensive tackles selected in the top 10, gave up four pressures and two sacks each in their debuts.

Translation? Tyler Smith outperformed the perceived elite tackles of this draft class, and did it against one of the best defensive lines in football. That serves as a sign that he can be a foundational helper ... even as he needs more help.

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