The Dallas Cowboys are yet again going to be without one of their best players in left tackle Tyron Smith, who suffered a severe hamstring injury. Smith is one of the best left tackles of this generation and a likely Hall of Famer, but the injuries are beginning to get worse and worse.
Smith wasn’t injury-prone during the first half of his career, but he missed six games in 2021 and only played in two in 2020. Now set to miss most, if not all of the 2022 season, the eight-time Pro Bowler could be set to appear in just 13 games in three seasons.
It’s an incredibly unfortunate time for Smith and Cowboys fans, but the team is going to have to adjust if they want to try and make some noise in the weak NFC. The Cowboys are still a viable team with the best quarterback in the division. They’ve got a defense that gets to the quarterback and creates turnovers, and a stud receiver in CeeDee Lamb.
Dallas should work quickly here and perhaps look at remaining free agents who could be inserted into the lineup for the bulk of the season.
The Cowboys might not be smart to move rookie Tyler Smith to left tackle, as he might play better and get acclimated quicker as a guard. From left to right, the Cowboys have a vacancy at left tackle, Smith at right guard, Tyler Biadasz at center, Zack Martin at right guard, and Terence Steele at right tackle.
I personally think that simply signing a left tackle to start is the best option here. It allows for the rest of their unit to continue playing in the normal positions that they’ve been in this offseason, and this could help the free agent signing get up to speed.
Two options that come to mind are Eric Fisher and Jason Peters. Both have been the best at their position in the past. Peter is a Hall of Fame lock and was the best lineman for the Chicago Bears last season, and while Eric Fisher had a rough go in Indianapolis last season, perhaps being even further removed from his Achilles injury will improve his play.
I don’t think signing either is a bad idea, but I would gravitate towards Fisher. He’s much younger and should have plenty of gas left in the tank. The Cowboys could also get creative and perhaps sign a right tackle to play left tackle. Marcus Cannon, Bobby Massie, Daryl Williams, and Mike Remmers are all available to be signed.
I think my point here is that the Cowboys need to bring a new body into the facilities instead of relying on what they have. There is still some quality talent on the market, and no one at this point in the offseason is going to command much money at all.