Cowboys just played against perfect Tyron Smith contingency plan before trade deadline
By Jerry Trotta
The Dallas Cowboys made light work of the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. A huge game from Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb paired with a lights-out showing from DaRon Bland and the defense piloted the Cowboys to victory, but the health of Tyron Smith is a big underlying takeaway from the win.
The Cowboys' injury report was squeaky clean all week until Thursday when Smith was limited with a neck injury. Despite affirmation from owner Jerry Jones and head coach Mike McCarthy that Smith would play Sunday, the 32-year-old was a surprise inactive for the second time in five games.
To make matters worse, Smith's replacement -- free agent pickup Chuma Edoga -- went down in the second half with an apparent ankle sprain. Initial signs are Edoga avoided a high-ankle sprain, but an MRI on Monday is needed to confirm.
With the trade deadline a little more than 24 hours away, the Cowboys should call up their Week 8 opponent and inquire about Joe Noteboom.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on LT Tyron Smith (neck) missing Sunday: "Actually, we all thought Tyron was going to go until the last second. Probably the better part of valor was to not play him today... Super Bowl might have been a different story." Wanted to avoid another stinger.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 29, 2023
The Cowboys should trade for Rams OT Joe Noteboom amid Tyron Smith's latest injury
Teams aren't just giving away swing tackles, so it won't be easy. That said, the Rams have already orchestrated two in-season trades. They dealt running back Cam Akers to the Vikings and wide receiver Van Jefferson to the Falcons.
With that, Rams ESPN reporter Sarah Barshop named Noteboom as the most likely Rams player to be traded before Tuesday's deadline. After dropping to 3-5 on Sunday and with a banged up Matthew Stafford, head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead might feel inclined to sell off more pieces.
Noteboom started at RT against the Cowboys for the injured Ryan Havenstein, but he has experience on the left side, including 82 snaps this season.
In 2022, Noteboom played exclusively at left tackle (328 snaps) and posted a respectable 67.0 player grade, per Pro Football Focus. He allowed 23 pressures, five sacks and eight QB hits. Not world-beating numbers, but plenty serviceable for a backup tackle.
He said the biggest issue the Cowboys have is offensive line depth with Tyron Smith not playing vs. the Rams and Chuma Edoga leaving in the second half with an ankle injury. "Everybody in the league’s looking for starting offensive linemen," Jones said. "Everybody."
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) October 29, 2023
Jerry Jones makes a good point, but it's a lame excuse given Dallas is ready to win now. If faced with a similar predicament, would Eagles general manager Howie Roseman attribute the shortage of quality OL around the league for not making a deal, or would he call up every team and submit offers until a trade got done?
It's very possible Smith and Edoga are active in Week 9 against Roseman's Eagles, but the current plan at left tackle isn't sustainable. Not only is it a struggle for Smith to string together consecutive weeks without popping up on the injury report, but Edoga has now dealt with multiple injuries since training camp.
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