The Dallas Cowboys are going to be without all-world left guard Tyler Smith for at least the first four weeks of the season, something head coach Brian Schottenheimer announced on Monday. Coach Schotty also confirmed it will be T.J. Bass starting in Smith’s spot.
The biggest phase of the game the Cowboys will miss Smith in is his run blocking, with the Cowboys also counting on a repeat performance by Javonte Williams at running back, and sorting out the pecking order behind with Malik Davis and Emari
Demercado.
Cowboys LG Tyler Smith to undergo thumb surgery, miss 4-6 weeks – Nick Shook, NFL.com
A huge blow to the Cowboys offensive line just ahead of two divisional games to start the season.
The three-time Pro Bowl guard and cornerstone of Dallas’ interior offensive line was not seen at Monday’s practice, leading to questions regarding his status. With the entire regular season ahead and the thumb injury limiting Smith, the guard felt now was the best time to have the issue fixed, per Schottenheimer.
“Just at the end of the day, he felt like he couldn’t do the things he had to do at a high level,” the coach said Monday. “We know this is a long season. It’s unfortunate but that’s why we coveted T.J. Bass and having T.J. Bass back. I think he’s played a lot of really good football for us, and we expect that he’ll continue to do so.”
Cowboys have a ‘ton of confidence’ in T.J. Bass filling in for Tyler Smith – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
T.J. Bass has been called on and played well before, and the Cowboys will need more of it as he starts the season at left guard.
During training camp, Bass would often times get work with the first-team offensive line in team drills when Schottenheimer and the Cowboys staff would give Smith less snaps in order to manage his workload as a veteran. Schottenheimer hopes those reps will pay off in a game setting.
“Offensive line play is tied together,” Schottenheimer said. “We’ve gone into games with four new starters on the offensive line. I’m very, very confident that this group will play well against a really good front. I have great confidence in T.J. Bass. He’s extremely bright, very physical, great athlete. He’ll do a marvelous job for us, I’m sure, stepping in.”
What T.J. Bass’ stats tell us about replacing Tyler Smith – Brandon Loree, Blogging The Boys
Bass is a player the team can trust to not allow quarterback Dak Prescott to take unnecessary hits.
Despite average overall stats for his position, the Cowboys could hang their hat on how efficient Bass was in limited reps. He started in games against the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington Commanders.
He allowed zero sacks last year (T-1st among all 82 guards), had four pressures allowed (second best), and a 99.0 pass-blocking efficiency grade (first). A small sample size to be sure, but he acquitted himself very well.
Brian Schottenheimer raises important question about Cowboys offense by answering another – Mauricio Rodriguez, A to Z Sports
Not having Tyler Smith at left guard will put a bigger magnifying glass on Tyler Guyton at left tackle, who the Cowboys will need to stay healthy to avoid going into the further depths of their OL backups.
This is a big mystery for a Cowboys offense preparing to start a left tackle who has dealt with injuries in his first couple of NFL seasons. It’s a significant question, and Dallas does not have a firm answer right now.
When push comes to shove, I think the Cowboys would end up giving Jones a shot at left tackle. But right now it doesn’t sound like they’re giving him swing tackle treatment.
Emari Demercado may be more than just the Cowboys’ third RB – Jess Haynie, The Landry Hat
It will be fun to see how RB Emari Demercado’s role develops as the season goes on.
When Dallas added Demercado, his profile immediately sounds like a prototypical backup for Javonte Williams. He’s a patient runner with good vision, not adverse to contact while also having breakaway speed. He’s also a proficient receiver and pass blocker, both especially valuable for whoever spells Williams on third-down plays.
Demercado is also noted as a “four-core” special teams player, meaning he can play on every unit. This is also a positive point on Davis’ resume, further showing their similarity.
Giants cut Darius Slayton – Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk
A roster move for Dallas’ week one opponent ahead of Sunday night.
The move comes as a surprise if only because of Slayton’s contract: Just last year, he signed a three-year, $36 million contract, and he is guaranteed $9.75 million this year. Cutting him only saves the Giants $2.5 million, but apparently they’re down enough on him that they thought that savings was worth sending him packing.
The Giants presumably tried to trade Slayton before cutting him and found that no one wanted to trade for that contract.
Daily discussion question: Which player on the Giants concerns you the most?
