Cowboys Rumors: Latest buzz shows releasing Tyron Smith is real possibility

The Dallas Cowboys are $7 million over the cap. While that number might appear startling, there’s myriad moves that would allow the front office to save up to $50 million. Releasing Ezekiel Elliott and extending Dak Prescott, for example, would make the Cowboys’ about $35 million richer from a cap standpoint.

Another idea that is sure to gain steam in future weeks is cutting Tyron Smith.

Cutting your starting left tackle could be viewed as franchise malpractice, but Tennessee just executed this very maneuver with Taylor Lewan. Though a three-time Pro Bowler and just 31 years old, Lewan has started just 20 games over the last three seasons, including just two games in 2022.

Will the Cowboys take a page out of the Titans playbook?

That remains to be seen, but The Athletic’s Jon Machota floated the idea in a recent article that previewed all 32 team’s offensive lines.

NFL Rumors: Will Cowboys release Tyron Smith this offseason?

Here’s what Machota said of Smith’s murky future (subscription required).

"Tyron Smith is the most interesting question mark of this group. The eight-time Pro Bowler might have played his last snap in Dallas. If he returns, the Cowboys could put him back at left tackle and play Tyler Smith at left guard, which was the plan going into the 2022 season. But Tyron Smith’s inability to stay healthy led to Tyler Smith showing he’s the long-term player at left tackle."

It’s difficult to push back on that analysis. There is certainly some value in bringing Smith back for one last hoorah in 2023. Even if Tyler Smith is made the full-time left tackle, the elder Smith could start at right tackle while Terence Steele completes his ACL rehab.

On the flip side, though, you could advocate for re-signing Jason Peters — or another grizzled veteran — for significantly less money to start at RT. Both Peters and Smith carry injury risk, but the discrepancy in price makes Peters the smarter play. If you’re arguing ceiling, Smith could be a rockstar swing tackle if healthy.

You have to think the Cowboys front office is mulling over these exact scenarios. At the end of the day, though, Smith has played 17 of a possible 50 games since 2019. That’s 33 missed games in a three-year span, and he hasn’t played more than 13 games and a full season since 2015; eight years ago.

Smith getting cut would be a brutal end to a likely Hall of Fame career in Dallas, but it’s impossible to say he’ll stay healthy in 2023. If circumstances allow the Cowboys to restructure his contract for a reduced salary, then great, but he has no guaranteed money left, and his body is clearly breaking down.

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