3 Underrated Free Agents Cowboys Can Sign to Replace Tyron Smith

Yosh Nijman

After being a regular starter in Green Bay in 2022, Nijman lost his role to fellow tackles Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker. After playing over 50% of snaps in back-to-back years, the 27-year-old offensive lineman only played in 21% of offensive snaps in 2023, taking on more of a rotational role at both tackles.

It was certainly an underwhelming season for Nijman, who ranked 88th out of 135 eligible offensive tackles in PFF's pass-blocking grade. However, he had shown that he could play at a higher level in previous seasons. Considering that he is healthy, never missed a game in his entire career, and his age, the Virginia Tech product still has an upside that the Cowboys should be intrigued by.

Josh Jones

Another former starter who fell behind in the rotation to a backup role is Josh Jones of the Houston Texans. After featuring prominently at right guard and left tackle in his first three seasons in the league with the Arizona Cardinals, Jones was utilized more as a backup in Houston in 2023.

Behind Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard, Jones didn't get the chances he was hoping for after being acquired by the Texans in a trade. His snap count fell all the way to 26% while his PFF grades took significant hits across the board.

But only a season ago, he was one of the more promising offensive linemen in the NFL. In 2022, he had a 75.9 pass block and 74.0 run block grade on PFF.

Considering that he is still 26 years old and didn't suffer major injuries, he could be a low-risk, high-reward type of replacement for Tyron Smith.

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