Dallas Cowboys: 5 major gambles that will determine their season
Dallas Cowboys Gamble No. 2: WHAT IF TYRON SMITH STAYS HEALTHY?
We determined there are great odds that quarterback Dak Prescott can return with a clean bill of health and get back to his old ways. But what does the opposite end of that optimistic spectrum look like for the Dallas Cowboys?
That’s where the conversation about Tyron Smith begins.
It is at the point now where most anticipate Tyron Smith missing a rather significant portion of a season. Prior, it seemed almost traditional for the Left Tackle to miss three games. No more, no less. For four consecutive season Smith missed precisely three games each year from 2016-2019.
Now it’s worse and a much grander concern. Tyron Smith has missed 20 games over the past two seasons. Add to the mix there’s really no answer to the question about who his backup currently is. Rookie Tackle Tyler Smith from Tulsa was drafted in the first round, but is expected to be the starting Left Guard.
As it stands, should Tyron Smith go down, the options are a full shuffle of the left side with Tyler Smith at LT and Connor McGovern at LG. McGovern had a chance to win that spot a season ago, but squandered the opportunity. If the Dallas Cowboys keep Tyler Smith at LG then the options are a pair of day 3 draft picks who’ve never played an NFL snap, Josh Ball and Matt Waletzko.
No matter how you shake it, losing Tyron in 2022 would continue to be an ugly scene. One in which the Joneses refuse to address for whatever reason.
If Tyron Smith were to stay healthy? The Dallas Cowboys would be looking at a similar position the San Francisco found themselves in with Trent Williams.
The All Pro tackle was a sure thing to miss about a month of games every season in his last years at Washington, including being absent for the entirety of 2019. But Williams had a massive bounce back year in 2022 where he was dominant for 15 out of 17 games.
The Dallas Cowboys would take that in a heart beat with Tyron Smith. There’s no doubt should he play 14-16 games the Dallas Cowboys offense would perform at a higher consistency.
THE MOST LIKELY OUTCOME:
As optimistic as we are about Dak Prescott getting back to form and being healthy, the same can’t be said for Tyron Smith. There’s just too much evidence to suggest this will inevitably be an obstacle the Dallas Cowboys will have to overcome.
At this point, all the Dallas Cowboys can do is hope for a run of good luck with Tyron’s health and be prepared for when he goes down. Considering their current options, it seems they’re far too heavily relying on the luck.