During the preseason, Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyrone Smith suffered a major knee injury. He went to the hospital in August and underwent surgery to fix the avulsion fracture in his left knee. He was expected to miss the entire season, but is close to returning. It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys O-line looks when Smith returns.
Smith is considered by many to be one of the best left tackles in the NFL. He has been a valuable contributor on special teams as well. After a stint on injured reserve, Smith should be able to return to practice in the next couple of weeks. He could also be a candidate for activation on Sunday against the Houston Texans.
With Smith on the sidelines, the Cowboys have been forced to fill in at the offensive tackle position with rookie first rounder Tyler Smith. The Cowboys are expected to use Smith at the left tackle position for Week 1, but he has only played the position once this season.
When Smith was initially placed on IR, it was expected that he would be out until December. However, he has gained 10 pounds over the last year and has been trending towards returning to practice.Tyrone Smith has been playing some snaps at the left guard position in recent weeks, and will likely be able to make his return to practice before the end of the year.
The current Cowboys starting five is playing very well, allowing zero sacks and seven pressures during the first eight games of the season. They have also recorded an 84% run block win-rate. That's an impressive accomplishment, especially since the Cowboys have a heavy rotation on the offensive line. This has benefited Connor McGovern, who has been playing very well as the left guard.
When Smith returns to the field, he will move into the starting role at left tackle. He is projected to start in Week 2, but is not yet on the official roster. He will have 21 days to practice before his spot on the 53-man roster is officially set.
While it is still early, Smith is expected to make his return to practice by the end of the week. The Cowboys may decide to keep him on IR for the rest of the year, but he should be able to play for Dallas in the final couple of weeks of the regular season. In the meantime, he should have an opportunity to earn a bigger role on the defensive line rotation.
If Smith can make a quick recovery, he should be able to rejoin the team in December, but it will be up to coach Mike McCarthy to decide how he'll be used. He could take over the starting left tackle position during the season's final two weeks, or he could be used as a backup in the future.
Despite the fact that Smith was not able to play in the playoffs, he did record a solo hit against Indiana, and had a kickoff return at Ohio State. Despite his recent injury, Smith remains an All-Pro and is regarded by many to be one of the top tackles in the NFL.
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