5 reasons to be nervous about the 2022 Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are trying to put a frustrating finish to the previous season in the rearview. After winning 12 games, they lost their only playoff game to the San Francisco 49ers and had to endure another offseason full of questions about their ability to win when it counts.

Now that camp is over and they’re working toward the regular season, we can look at their roster and select five reasons there should be some nervousness about their chances in 2022.

5 reasons to be nervous about the 2022 Dallas Cowboys

5. Tyron Smith is out again

When Tyron Smith plays, he’s one of the best in the business. The Cowboys starting left tackle is a dominant force that can bully his opponent with ease. The only problem is that he often misses time — and lately, it’s been a good bit of time. This year, he didn’t even make it to the start of the season, suffering an avulsion fracture in his knee during the final week of the preseason.

Smith missed three games in each season from 2016 through 2019 then managed to appear in just two games during the 2020 campaign. Again in 2021, he had issues and missed six games.

With him sidelined, Dallas leaned on Terence Steele, who made huge strides in his second season. They won’t be able to do this in 2022 since Steele is going to be the starter on the right side after La’el Collins was released.

Now, the current plan is to throw rookie Tyler Smith into the fire and hope he can succeed at the position. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a first-year player.

The swing tackle situation isn’t great either. Josh Ball and Matt Waletzko were subpar in the preseason. Ball looked bad in the first game of the preseason and Waletzko is back but dealing with a shoulder injury.

This offensive line is in major trouble.