You never want to lose your All-Pro left guard, but if Tyler Smith had to miss time, early in the season is certainly preferable to November or December. His injury was a gut punch, but the Dallas Cowboys have survived a difficult opening four games with a 2-2 record.
More importantly, the offensive line wasn't the reason Dallas lost either game. That's not to say Smith's absence hasn't been felt. The running game struggled mightily over the first two weeks, but T.J. Bass and Tyler Guyton -- especially Guyton -- have held down the left side with aplomb.
Smith is now eligible to come off injured reserve after missing the first four games. The Cowboys have opened his practice window, and they now have 21 days to add him to the active roster, or he'll stay on IR for the rest of the season.
Rest assured, Smith is not in danger of remaining on IR. In fact, Dallas feels pretty good about his chances of returning for Thursday's game against the 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cowboys Week 5 injury updates
Tyler Smith, LG
Stephen Jones said the following on Monday when asked by 105.3 The Fan about how he feels about Smith's chances of suiting up Thursday night:
"It's a huge plus. I mean, we were going to hit on Javonte (Williams) and the success running the ball in the red zone. He's going to give a very added feature. ..."
Correct me if I'm misinterpreting that, but it sounds like Jones confirmed without confirming that Smith is playing this week, does it not? In any event, Smith practiced in a limited capacity on Monday and seems to be tracking to make his return against Tampa Bay.
What a shot in the arm that would be for an offense that has a case to be the best in football after a month of action. We'll have more updates on Smith throughout the week.
Dak Prescott, QB
Prescott attracted eyeballs when he showed up to Sunday's postgame presser with his throwing hand wrapped. However, he had a much smaller wrapping in Monday's walkthrough and did not appear on the injury report. QB1 is good to go for Thursday. As we expected.
DeMarvion Overshown, LB
Overshown, though, was a DNP to start the week, once again working on the resistance cords. He'll need to get on the field on Tuesday or Wednesday to have a shot at playing.
In his Monday availability, Brian Schottenheimer was asked about the status of Overshown and Tyler Smith.
"Today we're not doing much," Schottenheimer said. "We're doing a bunch of mocks coming off of yesterday's game. We'll see how they both do today (Monday), but hopefully they can work into practice tomorrow."
Sounds like Overshown (and Smith) have a real chance of returning.
Cobie Durant, CB
Durant is looking at missing a third straight game with a hamstring injury. He still has not practiced after suffering a hamstring strain in the Week 2 win over the Commanders.
That tracks with Overshown's timeline, but the 10 days of rest before the Cowboys face the Packers on Sunday night in Week 5 could put Durant in position to make his long-awaited return.
Shavon Revel, CB
Revel was not on Monday's injury report, which is an encouraging indicator of his health. He played against the Texans despite not moving well in practice last week, but he only logged seven snaps. The Cowboys certainly could have used him for more than that, so his limited workload suggests they simply didn't believe he was healthy enough to handle an expanded role.
Buccaneers Week 5 injury updates
Antoine Winfield, S
Widely picked to win the NFC South, the Buccaneers are now 0-4 after falling to Green Bay on Sunday. Adding injury to insult, standout safety Antoine Winfield was injured in the loss, with head coach Todd Bowles announcing that Winfield is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a fractured rib.
Not only is Winfield the Bucs' defensive leader, but he is also their last line of defense.
Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense are fresh off hanging 34 points on one of the NFL's best defenses. CeeDee Lamb is playing the best football of his career, catching a career-high 17 passes on 21 targets against Houston. Now, a Buccaneers secondary already tasked with slowing down Prescott and Lamb will have to do it without its most important player in Winfield.
Baker Mayfield, QB
Mayfield was given a three-week timeline after fracturing his thumb in Week 3. However, ESPN reported over the weekend that he may have to miss more time. His return will hinge on how soon he can grip a football.
It goes without saying that Mayfield won't face Dallas this week. Tampa Bay will once again turn to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels, who ranks 20th out of 27 quarterbacks with a -0.040 EPA per play in Week 4 (pre-Monday Night Football), per RBSDM. He completed 19 of 27 passes for 148 yards (5.5 yards per attempt) with one touchdown and two interceptions.
If there were ever a get-right matchup for Christian Parker's defense, this is it.
Rueben Bain Jr., OLB
Bain returned to practice in full capacity on Monday after missing Week 4 with groin and shoulder ailments, suggesting the No. 15 overall pick will suit up against Dallas. He's had a rough go of it early on in his first NFL season, recording just two pressures and a ghastly 2.6 percent pass-rush win rate across 39 pass-rush snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
Benjamin Morrison, CB
A starting cornerback for Todd Bowles, Morrison is still hampered by a quad injury that kept him out of the Buccaneers' Week 4 loss. Tampa Bay also had a walkthrough on Monday, so their injury listings are estimates, but Morrison being a DNP is a notable development.
The Bucs need all of the secondary reinforcements to contend with a Cowboys offense that currently leads the league in points per drive. It's looking like they could be without two mainstays in Morrison and Winfield.
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