Should Cowboys Draft Tyron Smith's Successor Now?
The Dallas Cowboys have long been fortunate to have a strong and deep offensive line. But with time come age and injuries. And both of those are catching up with the position group and with one potential future Pro Football Hall-of-Famer in particular.
The Cowboys drafted Tyron Smith with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. And he made an immediate impact on the field protecting quarterback Tony Romo. Smith has earned two first-team All-Pro selections, two second-team All-Pro selections, eight Pro Bowl selections, and is a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
Smith started 16 games his rookie season at right tackle, then moved to left tackle and started 15 games in his second campaign. He's never left.
In fact, in his first five seasons, 2011-15, Smith missed just one game. But in 2016 things changed. Since his sixth season, he hasn't started more than 13 games in a season, including missing 14 games in 2020 and six games in 2021.
Age is inevitable in the NFL while injuries are sometimes expected. And both have affected the 31-year-old Smith's ability to stay on the field.
Especially considering Smith's last two seasons, Dallas should already be thinking about a successor at left tackle. But it doesn't appear the Cowboys have any plan in place. Dallas has routinely restructured Smith's contract in the past to gather cap space, but not this season. Why? One reason could be if they keep his current deal in place, they can release him in 2023 for much-needed cap space.
Is that the plan? To just release Smith?
It would appear so, whether intentional or not. La'el Collins was cut in March because the organization feels Terence Steele will develop at right tackle. But there's no option on the left side. Josh Ball, Dallas' 2021 fourth-round pick from Marshall could be considered, but he missed his entire rookie season due to injury.
That hardly sounds like a viable replacement plan.
With Dallas being almost invisible in the offseason with free-agent signings, it's hard to believe it would make a splash for a left tackle before the season starts. That leaves us with the NFL Draft later this month.
With 2022 being one of the deeper offensive line drafts in recent memory, there could be an opportunity in the first round for not just a replacement, but a potential upgrade at left tackle, with players like N.C. State's Ikem Edwonu, Northern Iowa's Trevor Penning, and Tulsa's Tyler Smith.
Whatever the Cowboys decide to do, it should be sooner than later. The clock on Tyron Smith is ticking.
