Dallas Cowboys give Tyron Smith LT, will move Tyler Smith inside

In a move that many of us saw coming for weeks, the Dallas Cowboys made it official when Jerry Jones announced on 1053 The Fan, Tyron Smith will be given the left tackle spot upon his return and the rookie Tyler Smith will move inside to left guard.

This is the way the offensive line was supposed to look when the season began. While the Dallas Cowboys view Tyler Smith as the LT of the future, he was pegged to first play LG as a rookie. In fact, they played him exclusively at guard throughout training camp and only when Tyron fell to injury two weeks before the season opener, did they give the rookie work at LT.

The Dallas Cowboys have officially stated their intention to move Tyler Smith to LG when Tyron Smith re-enters the lineup.

Penalties have been an issue, but Smith has preformed admirably in Tyron’s stead. The rookie from Tulsa was a LT in college, so the move outside was far from foreign for the 21-year-old behemoth. But Smith survived the college ranks on raw strength and talent. He was not technically sound and it showed in Dallas.

Even still, he made strides and in the Cowboys run-heavy attack, he was sheltered from too much pass protecting exposure most of the year. In a recent re-draft, Smith was placed a couple spots ahead of where Dallas drafted him (see article below). He was still the fifth tackle taken but his value today is more than anticipated when the Cowboys first selected him.

One of the strongest young players in the NFL, Smith should have no problems playing inside at guard. He will remain on the same side of the line but be able to use his power more without fear of losing his base.

It’s a move his outside offensive line coach Duke Manyweather has been calling for most of the season and is a way the Dallas Cowboys can get their best five linemen on the field.

The odd man out in this scenario is, of course, Connor McGovern. McGovern is coming off one of his better games as a pro (the whole Cowboys O-line looked good against Minnesota), but he’s struggled most of the year. Moving him back to reserve role would allow him to do what he does best – which is a little bit of everything.

The veteran Jason Peters experimented at LG earlier in the year but has now been fully relegated back to OT. Peters can now serve as a swing tackle behind Tyron and Terrance Steele and further insulate Dallas from injury.

The timeline for this move is uncertain. Dallas experimented a little with Peters outside and Tyler inside last week in Minnesota and may do so again on Thursday against New York. But Tyron’s return won’t happen until December so patience will be required for the permanent transition.