5 Key Cowboys Who Will Be Free Agents After 2023 Season

Tyron Smith

A career Cowboy so far, it feels telling that there's been no public noise about a Tyron Smith extension when Zack Martin and Terence Steele have both received new contracts.

Smith had the chance to prove he was healthy again after tearing his hamstring last year, playing the final four games of the season, but he was playing out of his usual spot by handling right tackle duties, and he really struggled.

Now back at left tackle, the 32-year-old Smith will need to wow Jerry Jones if he wants to stay in Dallas.

He hasn’t played more than 13 games in a season since 2015, and the last three years have seen him notch the three lowest snap counts of his career. He played just two games in 2020, 11 in 2021 and four in 2022.

Even if Smith playing at his old All-Pro level, that inability to stay on the field would make teams very shy about giving him a hefty contract. He was still elite after his first bout of injury issues when he returned in 2021, but last year's huge drop-off in play is a second big red flag.

Smith will need to not only stay healthy, but he'll need to play at a very high level to get the kind of contract he probably wants this offseason.

From the Cowboys' perspective, the flexibility Tyler Smith has shown with his ability to move to left tackle makes Tyron more replaceable than ever, and there's just not enough salary cap space to show any kind of loyalty in over-extending to give him a nice deal.