Cowboys GM Jerry Jones said it’s ‘safe to say’ Tyler Smith will start at LT

On Monday, Dallas Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones yet again reiterated that the plan for replacing injured veteran LT Tyron Smith was to find somebody in-house. This is a plan the Cowboys seem to be going with this summer. They left the swing tackle position up to inexperienced in-house players and let rookies and UDFAs fight it out for wide receiver spots instead of bringing in seasoned veterans.

On Tuesday, Cowboys GM Jerry Jones all but confirmed that the in-house option is their 2022 first-round pick, Tyler Smith.

In an interview with 105.3 The Fan, Jones said it’s “safe to say” that the Tulsa product will be the starting left tackle against Tampa Bay next weekend. Here’s more from the owner:

"“We’ve got to get him out here and get him practiced here over the next couple of weeks relative to any issue he had with a little high ankle (sprain). But we don’t think that’s serious enough to limit his preparation.Now, what is the case is he hasn’t been there at left tackle. He is a rookie. But he’s a first-round pick and he deserved to be a first-round pick in my mind. And so we knew – we just didn’t want to come any earlier than it needed – but we knew we had to get ready to replace our left tackle and he was the pick.”"

It’s always hard to interpret Jerry’s words and it’s also fair to take everything he says with a grain of salt. When the rookie missed the final preseason game and practices last week with an ankle injury, the narrative was that it was no big deal and he was totally fine. Now, it’s we have to make sure there are no issues.

Jerry also seems to be saying that even though Tyler Smith has spent no time at left tackle this preseason, the fact that he’s a first-round pick means he’s ready to do it.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says it’s “safe to say” rookie Tyler Smith will be the starting left tackle in Week 1

The reality is that the Cowboys did draft Tyler with the intention of having him be the future left tackle when Tyron finishes his career. But I don’t think anyone in the front office expected Tyler to have to be the starting left tackle this early. With the All-Pro veteran out until at least December and the front office’s refusal to look outside the current roster, the Cowboys have no choice but to throw the 21-year-old into the fire.

The Cowboys offensive line struggled in the latter half of the 2021 season.  The original plan was for the Smiths to line up alongside each other so that Tyron could help integrate Tyler into the NFL. The rookie was practicing and rotating at left guard with Connor McGovern.

This scrambling could really take a toll on the run game and Dak Prescott if it doesn’t go well. Now, the OL has three new starters for Week 1 against one of the best teams in the league. Terence Steele will play right tackle, McGovern will fill in at left guard, and Smith will be the starting left tackle.

Dallas clearly has a lot of faith in its young talent. Will this come back to bite them with an incredibly tough start to their 2022 schedule?

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