Tag: Tyron Smith

Tyron Smith signing gives Jets tremendous flexibility in NFL Draft

With the addition of Tyron Smith, the Jets have their starting offensive line, which gives them quite a bit more flexibility in the NFL draft.

In just one week, GM Joe Douglas has reshaped the New York Jets offensive line, giving them quite a bit more flexibility in the upcoming NFL Draft.

With the most recent addition of left tackle Tyron Smith, if the Jets didn’t make any more additions to the offensive line, their starting five for Week 1 would be set.

With Smith at left tackle, John Simpson, who the Jets signed earlier this week, will be the left guard. Joe Tippmann will be at center, followed by Alijah Vera-Tucker at right guard, with Morgan Moses rounding things out at right tackle.

Before free agency began, with Tippman and Vera-Tucker as the only starters on the roster, the Jets spending the 10th overall pick, and perhaps even the 72nd pick, on the offensive line was a given.

Even with Simpson and Moses in the fold, before the team signed Smith, given the hole that still existed on the roster along with the strength of this draft class at the tackle position, adding an offensive tackle at 10th overall still felt incredibly likely.

However, now, things have changed. This isn’t to say that taking a tackle at 10th overall still won’t happen or isn’t the prudent move, especially with Smith having dealt with injuries. After all, this is one of the most important positions in football in what is an absolutely loaded draft class, with seven offensive tackles ranked in Daniel Jeremiah’s top 22 prosepcts.

But with that said, with how quickly Douglas has reshaped the offensive line, selecting a tackle is no longer an absolute must. Douglas now has what every GM wants, and that is some flexibility in the draft so that he doesn’t feel pigeonholed into having to take a specific poison at a certain point in the draft. That is when reaching for a prospect takes place, and that often doesn’t end well.

Yet now, the Jets are in a better position to let the board come to them. In addition to needing to address the offensive line this offseason, receiver still remains a big offseason need, and like offensive tackle, this draft class has tons of high-end talent at that position.

After Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Oduze and Malik Nabers are regarded as the next best receivers and, depending on what mock draft you look at, are projected to go in the 5-to-10 range of the draft–right in the Jets’ neighborhood.

Not having to take an offensive tackle could also open the door for the Jets to select tight end Brock Bowers, the top tight end in this class and a player who can provide versatility for an offense while impacting the passing game immediately.

Or perhaps, depending on how the board falls, the Jets choose to trade down from the 10th overall pick and acquire more draft capital. This wouldn’t be a bad option given that after the first round, Douglas won’t be selecting again until Round 3 and only has two picks in the top 100. Overall, the Jets rank 22nd in draft capital value.

The point to all of this is that the Jets now have options available to them going into the draft–and options are always a good thing for a general manager.

Former Cowboys star LT Tyron Smith signs with the Jets

A top offensive tackle option is off the board for Washington.

After 13 seasons in Dallas, left tackle Tyron Smith is leaving the Cowboys. On Friday, Smith agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Jets to protect potential future vice presidential candidate Aaron Rodgers.

The Washington Commanders desperately need help at offensive tackle, perhaps needing two starters for 2024. One of those starters is expected to come via the 2024 NFL draft. However, many believed Smith would be an ideal candidate to play left tackle for Washington in 2024, specifically with his ties to new Commanders coach Dan Quinn.

It’s unknown if Washington was even in on Smith. The offensive tackle depth in free agency was already thin, and with the eight-time Pro Bowler now off the market, the Commanders may run it back with Andrew Wylie at right tackle and start a rookie at left tackle.

Smith, 33, hasn’t played a full season since 2015. While he’s an elite player, there are health concerns, having missed a combined 34 games over the past four seasons.

Former Cowboys LT Tyron Smith set to latch on to NY Jets

The nine-time Pro Bowler will suit up in a different uniform for the first time in his career.

The era has come to an end. For a long, long time, the Dallas Cowboys ignored the offensive line when it came to the draft. Seemingly unaware of how important the trenches were, the Cowboys allowed the unit to disintegrate into a hot mess, but that all changed in 2011. That year, the team selected one of the most physically imposing prospects seen in a long time, USC’s Tyron Smith.

After playing him at right tackle his rookie season, the team shifted him over to the left side in 2012. Once he became acclimated to things, he quickly entrenched himself as one of the game’s best. Seven straight Pro Bowl campaigns, ensued, along with a repetitive injury history that eventually became the narrative. Smith has played in just 30 games over the last four years and earlier this offseason the team and he decided Smith would seek offers from other teams. That searched reached finality Friday night as Smith has agreed to terms to join the New York Jets.

Smith will join a Jets team that hope to see Aaron Rodgers for extended action for the first time, after the quarterback was lost for all of 2023 with an Achilles injury in Week 1.

5 options for Cowboys to replace Tyron Smith at LT

With Tyron Smith not likely to return, here are the top five options for the Cowboys to replace the future Hall of Fame LT. | From @BenGrimaldi

The NFL combine offers more than just an opportunity to get a look at the upcoming prospects, it’s also a place to kickstart the offseason. Teams use the annual get together to seek clarity with their own players ahead of free agency.

For the Dallas Cowboys, it was time to find out where they stood with left tackle Tyron Smith. Those conversations didn’t go as some hoped as the team and the 13-year veteran couldn’t agree on Smith’s value, and he’s set to become a free agent for the first time in his career.

Smith’s absence leaves a hole on the Cowboys’ offensive line that needs to be addressed. It can be argued whether it’s the right move for the team at another time, but for now, the task is finding his successor. Here are the best options for the Cowboys to replace Smith at LT.

Available free agent offensive tackles for Patriots in 2024

There are still solid offensive tackle options for the Patriots on the free agent market in 2024

The New England Patriots are in danger of losing both of their starting offensive tackles from the 2023 season.

Left tackle Trent Brown and right tackle Mike Onwenu are both slated to hit the free agent market, which will put them in the driver’s seat of contract negotiations. Losing Brown would sting, but the Patriots have the cap space and draft capital to overcome that loss in the offseason.

However, things could get tricky if the team fails to re-sign Onwenu, who worked in at both tackle and guard last season. Onwenu is only 26 years old and in position to become one of the rebuilding blocks on the Patriots’ offensive front.

Whether he stays or goes, it’s going to take a herculean effort for the Patriots to get the offensive line back on track. It all starts in free agency by dedicating the necessary resources to young talent that can help the team for years to come.

Here are the available free agent offensive tackles for the Patriots in 2024:

Tyler Smith’s future unavoidably linked to Cowboys 1st round draft pick

If the Cowboys need a new LT in 2024 they’ll likely need Tyler Smith to play it or they’ll need their first pick in the draft to fill it. | From @ReidDHanson

Tyler Smith is one of the most exciting young players on the Cowboys roster. The 2022 first rounder earned a Pro Bowl selection in just his second season as a pro and appears well on his way to All-Pro status in the not-too-distant future.

The 22-year-old lineman from Tulsa has become a cornerstone for Dallas, presumably serving as a generational bridge, as the greats ride off into the sunset and new blood assumes key roles within the trenches. Blessed with unteachable size, strength and athletic ability, Smith is on a trajectory to possibly be the best LG in the game, assuming he’s allowed to stay the course.

Recent statements made by Cowboys executive vice president and director of player personnel, Stephen Jones, indicate LG may not be Smith’s final spot. Smith was a left tackle in college and after injuries knocked Tyron Smith out for most of 2022, Tyler Smith played primarily LT as a rookie as well. His ability to play either position was one of the reasons the Cowboys drafted him. It’s a status the front office has mentioned on numerous occasions. And it’s that position flex which Jones appears to be embracing again in Year 3.

With reports indicating Tyron Smith is done in Dallas, a Cadillac-sized hole now opens at LT. Since protecting the QB’s blindside is generally Job 1 of any offensive line, Tyler Smith is likely under consideration for the role, even if it means vacating his All-Pro trajectory at LG.

The Cowboys saw what happened when a replacement level player took over for Tyron Smith at LT last season. They can’t afford to roll into 2024 with the same scenario playing out, especially since Terence Steele at RT has his own concerns in pass protection.

There’s no realistic shortcut to filling the LT role in the NFL. Most of the NFL’s better LTs come with first-round pedigree or years of seasoning (often both). It leaves the Cowboys with a dilemma on their hands. Do they move Tyler Smith to LT or do they use a first-round pick to fill the need at LT and hope his pedigree makes him a plug-and-play solution on a team with championship aspirations?

What the Cowboys want to do with Smith will likely influence their decision in the draft. Just like what they can actually accomplish in the draft will impact what they do with Smith. Both entities are linked because there’s a good chance only one or the other will solve the problem at LT.

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USC football legend Tyron Smith unlikely to be retained by Dallas Cowboys

Tyron Smith’s long and very successful run with the Dallas Cowboys appears to be coming to an end.

The Dallas Cowboys are not expected to re-sign former USC football star and NFL All-Pro offensive tackle Tyron Smith. The 33-year-old veteran and eight-time Pro Bowler is expected to hit the market this spring. There will be plenty of teams interested in the future Hall of Famer.

Cowboys Wire has more on the story. The two sides seem very far apart in negotiations, to the point that an agreement seems highly unlikely.

Smith played 14 games in 2023. He has not played a full season since 2015. He has dealt with serious neck, back, hamstring and elbow injuries, but last year, he and the Cowboys found a suitable practice plan that kept him game-ready while limiting the amount of contact he would get during the week. He was named a second-team NFL All-Pro after posting a season which he had an 89.1% pass block win rate and a 78.8% run block win rate.

Now, for the first time in over a dozen years, the Cowboys will be in the market for a new blindside protector to keep Dak Prescott upright, whether through the draft, free agency, or existing players on the roster.

The Dallas Cowboys are projected to possibly take an offensive tackle, with the 24th overall pick in April’s NFL draft.

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Report: Patriots expected to pursue eight-time Pro Bowl OT in free agency

The Patriots could be big-game fishing in free agency

The New England Patriots will reportedly pursue Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith in free agency, according to MassLive.com.

Smith has been a mainstay on the Cowboys’ offensive line over the last 13 seasons. However, a 14th season in Dallas is looking unlikely for the standout lineman.

Smith has been named to eight Pro Bowls in his career and was named a First-Team Associated Press All-Pro in 2014 and 2016. He could be worth monitoring for the Patriots, especially if Trent Brown does not return to the organization.

MassLive wrote:

The Patriots would like to find a starting-caliber tackle in free agency. One name to watch is Tyron Smith, who earned second team All-Pro honors with the Cowboys last season. The 33-year-old would provide a short-term solution at left tackle and the Patriots are expected to pursue Smith when free agency opens.

The Patriots’ approach to Smith over these next couple of weeks will be intriguing, as it may tip their hand on their plans in free agency, especially as it relates to the offensive line.

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Did Cowboys fans buy into yet another Jerry Jones sales pitch with ‘all-in’ verbiage?

Did fans get bamboozled by Jerry Jones’ words at the Senior Bowl. It wouldn’t be the first time his double-speak misguided the masses. Breaking down what all-in really means to the Cowboys. | From @KDDrummondNFL

One of the most non-sensical speakers of the last half decade, Jerry Jones has the Cowboys fanbase in a tizzy yet again. It’s a perfect storm, really. A fanbase so large, each opposing viewpoint yields more supporters than many other team’s entire fanbases. Hungry for some level of postseason success for the first time in three decades, finally achieving regular-season consistency has made playoff failures even more frustrating.

Mix in an owner who doubles as general manager and team spokesman, one who talks in Oil Salesman-ese and always wants to be in a spotlight, and the cumulonimbus clouds start rolling in.

In this National Weather Service warning, the words “all-in” were spoken at the Senior Bowl when asked about the direction of the Dallas Cowboys’ front office in 2024.

Only, he didn’t necissarily say it the way fans took it. The fans, some ready to pounce on any bit of hope, the rest ready to pounce on any chance to say I told you so, flocked to the words all-in like moths to a flame. They should know by now they’d be burned by it, but zoom into the light they sillily did.

Could Tyron Smith solidify LT for the Rams like Andrew Whitworth did?

With Tyron Smith set to hit free agency, could he be the next version of Andrew Whitworth for the Rams?

It’s not hyperbole to say Andrew Whitworth was one of the best free-agent signings in Rams history. When the Rams added him in 2017, he was viewed as a solid pickup but what he did for Los Angeles in his five years with the team was nothing short of spectacular.

He was 35 at the time of signing with the Rams but he still went on to make the Pro Bowl, be selected as a first-team All-Pro, win a Super Bowl and be named the Walter Payton Man of the Year all in just five short seasons.

The Rams find themselves in a similar spot now as they were in 2017, needing someone who can solidify the left tackle spot. That player could be Tyron Smith.

The Cowboys are not expected to re-sign Smith, a pending free agent, allowing the 33-year-old veteran and eight-time Pro Bowler to hit the market. Smith has far greater injury concerns than Whitworth ever did, but it’s possible he can do for the Rams what Whitworth did in the second half of his career.

With Smith becoming available, the Rams should at least entertain the possibility of signing him. Despite playing 13 years in the NFL, he’s still somehow just 33 years old. And yes, there are serious questions about whether he can stay healthy – he hasn’t played more than 13 games since 2015 and has played just 30 games in the last four years – but he’s still capable of playing at a high level at a premier positions.

According to Pro Football Focus, he had the highest pass-blocking grade of any offensive tackle last season (88.6). He was second in 2021, behind only Whitworth. While he’s not as athletic and mobile as he once was at left tackle, he can still move and get out in the open field on running plays; he had a 70.5 run-blocking grade last season.

The only real worry with Smith is whether he can stay healthy and be available for the Rams for the entire season. Even at 33 years old, he’s expected to garner plenty of interest as a free agent. That means his price tag is likely to be relatively high, too. His last contract was eight years for $97.6 million way back in 2016, which worked out to an average of only $12.2 million per year. That was a certified bargain for Dallas, given his talent level.

With his next contract, he’ll likely be more focused on chasing a ring than cashing in one last time. Might he take a hometown discount to return to Los Angeles where he was born and raised, and then played his college ball at USC? Again, that’s something the Rams should at least approach his agent about.

Perhaps Les Snead and Sean McVay won’t even go down this road. Maybe they’ll just tender Alaric Jackson and call it a day. That’d be fine, but if they want to take the next step like they did in 2017 and 2018, Smith might be just the left tackle they need.