Dallas Cowboys: Tyron Smith and several other starters resume practicing
By Carl Daley
The Dallas Cowboys may have one of their best offensive linemen back in the rotation for Thursday’s Thanksgiving matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Dallas Cowboys are currently reeling from three big injuries that have put a pause on their season. The loss of offensive lineman, Tyron Smith, linebacker Sean Lee, kicker Dan Bailey, and the suspension of Ezekiel Elliott has thrown everything out of whack. Now the team is about to host the Los Angeles Chargers for what should be an interesting matchup on Thanksgiving.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had mentioned after the Philadelphia Eagles loss that Tyron Smith would be expected to play on Thursday considering he was being held out on Sunday.
So far this has all gone to plan as Smith has been practicing all week and even with the Cowboys playing on Thursday it appears that he will be back in the rotation. It is important that the Cowboys have Smith back on the roster as both of his replacements have left a lot to be desired for.
Backups Chaz Green had an absolutely brutal outing against the Atlanta Falcons, one that he will likely not live down for quite a while. His fellow backup Byron Bell also struggled against the Philadelphia Eagles but did seem to be more improved than Green.
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With Smith back in the lineup, the Dallas Cowboys can get back to doing what they do best, score points. Multiple drives over the last two weeks have ended because of failed protection and that shows the level of depth the Cowboys have along the offensive line (not very much).
Dak should finally have the time to make the throws we are used to seeing him make and even though two of his interceptions against the Eagles were not necessarily his fault, it is still jarring to see that type of performance.
The return of Smith will also help out this group of running backs as they should have a good matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thanksgiving. Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden, and Rod Smith could all be vying for the starting job and the player who makes the biggest impact especially with Smith back could win the job until Zeke’s return.
The Dallas Cowboys will also see two other starters on the field Thursday as kicker Dan Bailey has been at practice. Bailey is the most accurate kicker in NFL history and even though Mike Nugent has done an adequate job as his backup the Cowboys will be happy to get “Mr. Reliable” back in the rotation.
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The other player that should be in the lineup is linebacker, Anthony Hitchens. The Cowboys needed Hitchens to be in the lineup if defensive quarterback, Sean Lee was going to miss another game with a hamstring injury. Hitchens was injured during Sunday’s blowout against the Eagles however luckily avoided serious injury. If Dallas can pull off a win on Thursday against the surging Chargers, Dallas could still be in a position to grab one of the final playoff spots.