For the last two years, one of the biggest question marks surrounding the Dallas Cowboys has been the future of the left tackle position. In 2022, Tyron Smith suffered a serious leg injury right before the start of the season. Rookie Tyler Smith shifted out from LG to LT for the remainder of the season and though he wasn’t perfect, he was more than adequate with noticeable upside. Knowing that the elder Smith hadn’t played a full season in over half a decade, the questions of whether the club saw Tyler Smith as the future heir at left tackle remained top of the list.
Low and behold, four weeks into the season and Tyron Smith is being ruled out for a second straight game with a knee injury. Will head coach Mike McCarthy and OL coach Mike Solari push the younger Smith outside this week? They didn’t last week, when center Tyler Biadasz and right guard Zack Martin were also out along with Tyron Smith. Those two’s statuses improved as the week progressed and they appear to be on track to play. With the rest of the interior solidified, with the 2022 first-round pick be shifted outside to his future home? Is it even his future home?
Last week Chuma Edoga played left tackle in Tyron Smith’s absence. He gave up a QB hit, two more pressures and was called for offensive holding on a stalled drive. That’s not ideal with Matt Judon staring the club in the face.
Here’s a look at the full injury report for Week 4, for both the Cowboys and teh Patriots. Only one player has been ruled out and despite veteran days for CeeDee Lamb, DeMarcus Lawrence and Tony Pollard, all enter the contest with no injury designation. The Patriots added another defensive back to their report on Friday ad have five questionable players compared to the Cowboys’ three.