DALLAS — There’s never a shortage of drama when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys. The organization lived up to that mantra last week at the NFL’s annual scouting combine where they provided more storylines as the league’s biggest soap opera.
Jerry and Stephen Jones arrived in Indianapolis on the big bus to hold court and discuss how the team plans to move forward in 2024, which included unexpected designs for veteran impending free agents.
That group contains a big piece of their offseason puzzle, left tackle Tyron Smith. The eight-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro has spent all 13 of his seasons with the Cowboys but is now set to become a free agent. Most NFL observers and Cowboys insiders believed that the team would work out a deal to keep Smith in Dallas for a 14th season and perhaps make him a Cowboy for life.
However, with the Cowboys, it’s only ever truly a surprise if things go as planned. Just a day after reports were that Smith wanted to continue to play, and wanted to return to the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2011 draft, things apparently fell apart. Smith is now expected to hit free agency for the first time in his career.
It’s unclear why the sudden turn of events, but Smith should have a robust market when free agency opens. In a league that is woefully short on quality offensive linemen, Smith enters the market coming off an All-Pro season in which he played in at least 13 games for the first time since 2019.
Mike McCarthy’s plan that helped Smith stay healthy and in the starting lineup for the majority of the 2023 season included minimal practice time during the week, which facilitated the veteran playing in double-digit games. It also led to Smith’s best individual performance in years, earning him a second-team All-Pro nod, his first appearance on the list since 2016.
Unfortunately, that now looks like the blueprint for another team to follow and reap the rewards. It’s a tough turn of events for the Cowboys, who are now in need of a quality LT, a position with limited supply.
The team does have options to replace Smith, however. Moving Tyler Smith out to LT to take over for the future Hall of Famer could be the answer. The Cowboys drafted Tyler Smith to be heir apparent to Tyron, and Stephen Jones did say that the younger Smith draws comparisons to Larry Allen, so the team is clearly looking into the option.
Allen was an All-Pro guard and tackle during his time with the Cowboys, so that is high praise, but do the Cowboys want to move Smith coming off an All-Pro season of his own at left guard?
If the team does elect to move the third-year offensive lineman to LT, that opens a hole in the middle of the line. The Cowboys have options there as well, but nothing close to the quality of Tyler Smith’s play. Either way, the offensive line will need another quality starter on the left side.
There are two positives if Smith does move on. The Cowboys will likely net a third-round pick in compensation for losing him and the 2024 draft is loaded with offensive line talent. Dallas could replace the open LG or LT spot by selecting a top-tier prospect at either position early in the draft and be set up for their future on the left side of the line.
Moving on from Smith also alleviates the headache of not knowing whether Smith was going to play each week. The veteran tackle hasn’t played a full slate since 2015, missing at least three games in eight straight seasons. In the last four campaigns, Smith has missed 37 games and failed to play in more than four games twice.
For as good as he’s been in his career, Smith hasn’t been very reliable about getting onto the field. Smith will be 33-years old when the 2024 season starts, with a history of neck and back injuries, so it’s understandable if the Cowboys didn’t want to pay the expected high cost of keeping him.
Yet it’s still a surprising move not to retain one of the best offensive linemen in team history. Smith has been a good soldier during his time with the Cowboys, signing a below market extension in 2014, a deal which was beneficial for the team. Last year, Smith re-worked his deal to stay in Dallas based on playing time, another contract that worked out to the team’s advantage.
Now, when it’s time to keep an All-Pro player and person at a fair wage, the Cowboys aren’t prepared to pay for Smith. That’s a discouraging stance to take for a player who’s given his all for the organization. There’s no word on what Smith’s asking price is, but he should have no problem finding it in free agency.
Taking emotion out of this, it couldn’t have been an easy decision. You can’t fault the Cowboys for not wanting to pay an aging veteran who has trouble staying healthy, and you shouldn’t fault the player for wanting to cash in after a superlative career where he’s been underpaid.
Ultimately, however, it looks like another disappointing exit for an all-time Cowboys great. Smith could still return to Dallas, but if he doesn’t, he’ll join the likes of Allen, DeMarcus Ware, Tony Dorsett, and Emmitt Smith, among others, in ending their careers in another uniform.
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