Tag: Tyron Smith

Cowboys Week 17 Inactives: Tyron Smith will go, Deuce Vaughn to see first action in 2 months

The Cowboys’ OL will be intact, but the defensive line continues to be depleted. A look at who is sitting out Saturday night. | From @KDDrummondNFL

After a one-game blip on the radar, the Dallas Cowboys hope to get their offensive line back in sync in Week 17 against the Detroit Lions. Tyron Smith missed his fourth game of the year in last week’s loss at Miami, due to a back injury, and the Dolphins were able to pressure Dak Prescott relentlessly. Now, Smith is active after practicing on Thursday in preparation for the team’s final home contest of the season.

Also active will be running back Deuce Vaughn, replacing backup running back Rico Dowdle who is inactive with an ankle injury. Vaughn hasn’t seen the field since Week 10, and the crowd favorite will certainly garner so cheers when he hits the field. Here’s a look at both team’s inactives for the game.

Tyron Smith’s improving status a good sign for Cowboys and Terence Steele

Tyron’s Smith’s eventual return to the Cowboys’ lineup offers positive trickledown effects to Terence Steele who is struggling at RT. | From @ReidDHanson

If an offensive line has a weak link somewhere, there are things a team can do about it. Teams can devote extra players to assist that weak link from time to time. They can use RBs and TEs to chip block before they go out in their routes. They can even roll the pocket away from the weak link.  Hope is not lost.

If a team has two weak links? Now that’s when it gets tricky.

Such was the case in Week 16 against Miami. With Tyron Smith out, the Cowboys turned to Chuma Edoga in relief. No longer could they devote all their extra resources to RT to help out Terence Steele. They had an even bigger weakness in Edoga.

As a result, the two tackles gave up a combined nine pressures. Dak Prescott played with his head on swivel and often had to flee the pocket before downfield routes had fully matured. It was a tough day made harder because of the two tackles and there weren’t enough extra resources to fix it.

When Week 17 the final injury report was released, Smith’s name came up as a limited participant in practice and carried a questionable status for the Week 17 game. While this is technically just a 50/50 proposition, Mike McCarthy indicated optimism.

This is especially important this week with the Lions coming to town. Detroit has one of the best young EDGE players in the NFL in Aiden Hutchinson and since he primarily lines up on the left side of the defense, he’s slated to face Steele most of the afternoon. If the Cowboys are splitting resources between Steele and Edoga, Hutchinson is going to win a lot of downs. But if Smith makes it back into the lineup, Steele can all of the extra resources rolled his way.

Smith has been one of the most unassisted LTs in the game this season. While his age may have impacted his durability, it hasn’t impacted his ability to play on an island. This special trait is important when the tackle opposite him happens to be third in pressures given up this season. Not third on the team. Third of all linemen in the entire NFL.

The Cowboys are a different team with Smith in the lineup. He impacts both phases of the game in multiple ways. If he can make it back on the field this Saturday, it’ll be good news to the Cowboys and good news to Steele.

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Have the Cowboys finally learned their lesson on the offensive line?

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Will Dallas finally learn their lesson on the offensive line, asks @ReidDHanson

It was late December. The Cowboys were on their final push for the playoffs and on track to post yet another 12-win season. Injuries and depth issues put Dallas in a precarious position at OT. One starting tackle was rushed back from injury and clearly not playing up to his previous standard, while the other tackle position was manned by a player who probably should have been playing guard.

Coming off a game in which Terence Steele and Chuma Edoga accounted for nine pressures, five hurries, three hits and a sack, it’s understandable if it seems the situation above is describing the current state of affairs in Dallas. But it’s actually the 2022 season being described, illustrating the same predictable issues continue to plague the Cowboys year after year.

It was Spanish philosopher George Santayana who famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Because lessons that aren’t remembered, aren’t really lessons at all. The Cowboys appeared to learn a lesson the hard way in 2022. Issues on the offensive line caused their running game and pass protection to crater late in the season, ultimately dooming them in the playoffs.

It was a lesson they should have remembered as they entered the 2023 offseason. Tyron Smith was averaging just 5.6 games per season over the previous three seasons. Steele was recovering from a catastrophic knee injury, likely impacting his already suspect pass-protection ability in 2023. Tyler Biadasz was a year away from free agency and Zack Martin reached a point in which he could retire at any time. Even after keeping Smith another season and committing to Steele long-term, the need on the offensive line was apparent.

Whether it was an OG or OT depended on how the Cowboys viewed Tyler Smith. If he was still seen as the future LT in Dallas, then they needed to find a starting quality OG. If he was seen as dominant OG in the making, they need a starting quality OT. Regardless of specifics, they needed a starting quality player added to the mix because the chances were strong, they’d be leaning on that player at some point in the season and certainly need them long-term down the road.

In the 2022 NFL draft they clearly had it in mind. They came ever so close to making Matthew Bergeron their top pick instead of Mazi Smith. Seen primarily as a high-end OG prospect, Bergeron signaled the Cowboys still saw Tyler Smith as future LT. It also would have kept Tyler Smith cross-trained and ready to replace Tyron Smith when his inevitable absence arose.

The Cowboys again had a chance at drafting a starting-level offensive linemen in the second round with O’Cyrus Torrence. Torrence has logged 1,016 snaps for Buffalo this season and ranks fifth amongst his draft class in PFF grade. Bergeron has played 1,007 snaps and ranks third. Both players have proven to be immediate viable options.

Even with Tyron Smith’s sudden resurgence (has played 11 of 15 games in 2023), either player would have a significant impact on the Cowboys this season, given two of Smith’s missed games resulted in loses and featured some fairly abhorrent play at LT. Given offensive linemen tend to develop slowly, it would also set the Cowboys up better for 2024 when Tyron Smith and Zack Martin’s future in the league may fall into doubt.

But instead of truly investing in the offensive line, the Cowboys decided to tread water and kick the can on the offensive line. They added the aforementioned Edoga, hoping to tap something in the veteran his two teams before Dallas never could. And they drafted Asim Richards, hoping one of their many Day 3 picks on the offensive line over the years would finally bear fruit.

Cowboys seem to have overestimated their ability to replace Tyron Smith at LT and simultaneously underestimated the impact Steele’s knee injury.

Looking at all the offensive linemen across the league, Steele has allowed the third most pressures in 2023. The Cowboys can give him frequent help in his assignments but only if everyone else is playing at peak. But when Tyron Smith misses time, his replacement, who’s even more pressure-prone than Steele, needs all the help he can get. It’s a recipe for disaster the Cowboys should have seen coming.

Will the Cowboys finally learn from this pain and act on it like they should have last offseason? That’s a question to be revisited in the 2024 offseason.

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Cowboys’ Jerry Jones hopeful Tyron Smith can return vs ferocious Lions D

From @ToddBrock24f7: With a Detroit defense on tap that’s nearly as fierce as Miami’s, the Cowboys would love to have their All-Pro left tackle back in the mix.

Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense clearly missed Tyron Smith on Sunday. With their veteran left tackle sidelined by a back injury suffered the week prior, the Dallas offensive line allowed Prescott to be sacked four times by the Dolphins defense in a 22-20 loss.

But sacks never tell the whole story, and they didn’t in Miami either, as Prescott was under near-constant pressure, taking another 12 official hits over the course of the game.

Prescott nevertheless managed over 250 passing yards and two touchdown throws and had Dallas in a position to win the game if not for a 29-yard Jason Sanders field goal as time expired.

“I thought Dak played a heck of a game the other night,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday. “He had pressure all night long. That had everything to do with not having Tyron, having to makeshift that offensive line, to some degree. Everybody has to do it, but I thought Dak handled it outstanding.”

Chuma Edoga filled in for Smith. The dropoff was… um… noticeable.

Prescott may be facing similarly intense heat this Saturday when the Lions come to town. Remember that thing about sacks not telling the whole story?

Detroit’s defense has registered just 34 team sacks this season, but they rank first in the NFL in QB hurries, third in QB pressures and fourth in QB knockdowns. And they’re doing it with a a blitz rate that’s firmly middle-of-the-pack.

All that means it sure would be nice to have their eight-time Pro Bowler back in the starting lineup. Jones sounded optimistic about the progress of Smith’s back rehab.

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“Hopefully, Tyron will come on around,” he explained. “We injected him last week, and that usually works. Hopefully, we can have him; he’s a huge difference-maker.”

And after back-to-back losses that have Cowboys fans suddenly very nervous about the team’s prospects in the postseason, a difference is desperately needed.

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Cowboys-Dolphins Inactives: Zack Martin, Tyreek Hill to go in Week 16, Tyron Smith out

The Cowboys and Dolphins are set to square off in a battle of 10-4 teams. Here’s who won’t be in full gear, through injury or coach’s decision. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys will be with one, but without another key member of their offensive line. In doubt all week, left tackle Tyron Smith was ruled out of the contest on Saturday, staying behind in Dallas while the team boarded their plane for South Florida. Smith will miss his fourth game of the 2023 and first since the game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Dallas will however have right guard Zack Martin, who left last week’s loss to the Buffalo Bills with a quad injury. Dallas has announced their Week 16 inactives ahead of their matchup with the Miami Dolphins. Both teams are 10-4 and looking to improve their playoff seeding in their respective conferences.

For Miami, the biggest question mark would be whether or not Tyreek Hill, trying to become a 2,000-yard receiver, would play. He’s in the lineup as well after being marked questionable following the week of practice.

Here’s a look at all of the inactives from Dallas’ 55-man roster after they elevated a DT and RB this week.

 

Cowboys 55-man roster for Week 16: Tyron Smith out, but no OL elevations vs Dolphins

The Cowboys are without their starting left tackle, but aren’t making any roster moves to account for it. Here’s what they did and didn’t do ahead of the clash with the water mammals. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys have ruled left tackle Tyron Smith out for their Week16 game against the Miami Dolphins. The future Hall of Famer has been outstanding all season, but sometime during the loss to Buffalo last week, he tweaked his back. Unable to practice all week he was originally given a doubtful designation, but on Saturday he was ruled out.

He will not fly to Florida with the club. Chuma Edoga will replace him in the starting lineup. Dallas did not make any roster moves related to Smith, though, as second-year tackle Matt Waletzko was not activated from IR despite practicing for the last couple of weeks. The team did elevate two practice squad players, however.

Both DT Carl Davis and RB Malik Davis are being brought up to make it a 55-man roster. This is the running back’s final elevation for the season. Carl Davis is moving up in response to Johnathan Hankins’ leg injury, as the big nose tackle will miss his second-straight week.

In Week 15, Carl Davis saw 14 snaps on defense. Malik Davis saw 16 special teams snaps, but none on offense.

Here’s a look at the full roster, before Dallas announces their inactives list ahead of Sunday’s kickoff.

 

Quarterbacks (3)
Running Backs (4)
Wideouts (6)
Tight Ends (4)
Offensive Tackles (3)
Offensive Guards (4)
Centers (2)

Defensive Ends (4)
Defensive Tackles (5)
Linebacker (4)
Cornerbacks (6)
Safeties (6)

Special Teams (3)

Cowboys ‘just don’t know’ about Zack Martin, Tyron Smith’s status for Miami

From @ToddBrock24f7: Both star linemen have missed the previous 2 days of practice with injuries; a ferocious Dolphins defense awaits in a big Week 16 matchup.

No one in Cowboys Nation wants to repeat any aspect of Week 3’s disaster in the desert, when the lowly Arizona Cardinals led a decimated Dallas team from wire to wire and notched a stunning 28-16 win.

Yet just 48 hours before a monumental interconference matchup with the explosive Miami Dolphins, the Cowboys might be coming into Week 16 with one very troubling similarity.

Right guard Zack Martin and left tackle Tyron Smith are both nursing injuries that have the Cowboys talking contingency plans.

“I just don’t know,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on Friday, “and we won’t know until it gets here. We’ve got a few days to go.”

Martin and Smith represent a combined 16 Pro Bowl appearances; their absences against one of the top defenses in the league would not bode well for the Cowboys coming out of Hard Rock Stadium with a win.

Too doom-and-gloom for you?

Consider that the last time both both were missing from the starting lineup was that ugly September outing in Glendale, and the opponent that day was a winless flock of Cardinals.

Martin left last week’s game versus Buffalo in the first quarter after taking a hard hit to his thigh. A quick check in the sideline medical tent revealed that his quad muscle “wasn’t firing,” and he sat out the rest of the contest.

The 10th-year veteran gave positive reports after the loss, telling reporters, “I feel good about” the prospect of being ready to go against Miami. He sat out the team’s practices on Wednesday and Thursday but remained optimistic on Friday.

“Just trying to do as much as you can, trying to get it just to get some of that soreness and tightness out, keep it firing, getting ready to play Sunday,” he said during his weekly radio call-in with GBag Nation.

Martin participated in Friday’s walkthrough, while Smith did not.

Smith’s appearance on the injury report was unexpected, showing up Wednesday with a back injury he suffered during the Buffalo game. He, like Martin, did not practice on either Wednesday or Thursday, but his prognosis sounded a little less encouraging.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said on 105.3 The Fan, “I would say Zack’s ahead of Tyron right now.”

Jones concurred with that assessment a few hours later, allowing for the possibility that Smith, who just turned 33, will miss his fourth game of 2023.

“We’ve got a game plan that’s going to be there without him,” Jones told the K&C Masterpiece Show. “It won’t be as pleasing as one with him, but we’ll have a game plan.”

Smith has already missed 36 games since the start of the 2020 campaign due to injury.

T.J. Bass filled in for Martin in Week 3 and again on Sunday. Chuma Edoga figures to get the call should Smith be unable to play in Miami.

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Whoever suits up in South Florida in Week 16, the Cowboys will be looking for them to not only bounce back after a lackluster effort in Buffalo, but to take things up to a playoff-level intensity against a powerhouse Dolphins squad, with the real postseason looming for both clubs.

“You have to be ready to go,” Jones said. “You’ve got to have depth. You’ve got to have people step in. They’re never going to be the perfect pictured performance of a Smith or a Martin. They’re never going to be that, but they do surprise you.”

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Cowboys have 19 pending free agents in 2024 as cap rumored around $242.5M

A look at the Cowboys pending free agency class and what the expected 2024 salary cap may look like. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of their third-straight double-digit win campaign. It’s the first time since the 1994 through 1996 seasons they’ve been able to claim that feat. Being that this is the most consistent the franchise has been since their Super Bowl days, it stands to reason the front office will look to do what it can to keep the roster in tact.

Of course, if the club doesn’t advance past the divisional round, the perception changes in a heartbeat. But if Dallas does make it to the championship rounds, they’ll want to do as much as they can to run it back. That includes looking at their 19 pending free agents.

The owners Winter meetings are taking place in Dallas this week, and among the myriad of topics discussed annually at this time of the year is the salary cap for next year. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer is reporting that no announcement will be made, but several tuned-in entities are predicting the 2024 number to come in between $240 million and $245 million.

That would be a jump of at least $15 million over the 2023 cap, but Dallas has concerns even with that total. Right now, Dallas is projected to be around $16 million over the median of those two numbers based on the salaries already on the roster.

There are restructure triggers galore in their current deals and extensions which could also reduce some of the larger cap hits like Dak Prescott’s $59.5 million or Zack Martin’s $28.5 million. And it will be needed to create space to bring in outside help or re-sign these names.

Commanders’ Week 12 injury report vs. Cowboys

Seven players were either limited or missed practice for the Commanders on Tuesday.

The Washington Commanders were back on the practice field Tuesday as they prepare for a Thanksgiving Day clash with the Dallas Cowboys. The Commanders are coming off an embarrassing 31-19 loss to the New York Giants, where they turned the ball over six times.

The Commanders opened the 21-day practice window for starting linebacker Cody Barton on Monday, and head coach Ron Rivera said Tuesday that Barton would be activated ahead of Thursday’s game.

In other injury news, Washington did officially place defensive end Efe Obada on season-ending IR. Obada suffered multiple leg fractures on Sunday.

Here’s Washington’s official injury report for Tuesday:

  • FB Alex Armah: DNP (hamstring)
  • CB Emmanuel Forbes: DNP (elbow)
  • LB De’Jon Harris: DNP (quad)
  • LB Khaleke Hudson: DNP (back)
  • DE James Smith-Willians: DNP (hamstring)
  • RB Antonio Gibson: Limited (toe)
  • DB Quan Martin: Limited (shoulder)
  • LB Cody Barton: Full (ankle)
  • RG Sam Cosmi: Full (chest)
  • WR Curtis Samuel: Full (toe)

The Cowboys had four players miss practice, including starting left tackle Tyron Smith, but his absence was a scheduled day of rest for the longtime starter.

  • WR Rico Dowdle: DNP (ankle)
  • WR Michael Gallup: DNP (NIR-personal)
  • S Jayron Kearse: DNP (back)
  • LT Tyron Smith: DNP (NIR vet rest)
  • TE Peyton Hendershot: Full (ankle)
  • WR CeeDee Lamb: Full (ankle)
  • DT Osa Odighizuwa: Full (hamstring)
  • OT Terence Steele: Full (ankle)
  • WR KaVontae Turpin: Full (shoulder)

 

 

Cowboys News: Two 2-round mocks, Lamb’s dominance, Giants trap?

Storylines on the Cowboys’ offensive line, good news on the injury front and how Dallas can go on a tear for the rest of 2023. | From @cdburnett7

The Dallas Cowboys enter a Week 10 matchup with the struggling and limping New York Giants. Nonetheless, it’s the NFL, and Dallas has a lot to prove. On the offensive line, Tyron Smith is being pampered, a right he’s earned, while Terence Steele is struggling. Jerry Jones isn’t losing faith in the 26-year-old, though.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb’s dominance is fueling the club’s offensive success and now he’s approaching rare air in franchise history. Predictions for the rest of the season, good news on the injury front and how wide receiver Martavis Bryant has the belief of the brass in the latest News and Notes.