Longtime Dallas Cowboy and Left Tackle, Tyron Smith is expected to test free agency this month. After 13 seasons with the Cowboys, the longest-tenured Cowboy will be moving on. Smith has arguably been one of the best tackles in the league, accumulating eight Pro Bowl selections. He won seven consecutive Pro Bowls from 2013 – 2019, including a Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-2010s team.
Injuries have been the reason why his production has slowed down over the last number of years. Smith has been out for almost the entire 2020 and 2022 seasons. However, he returned last year to start 13 games. According to PFF, He only allowed one sack on 847 offensive snaps for an 83.8 player grade.
Now the Cowboys will be in the market for a new blindside for star quarterback, Dak Prescott. Smith, 33, is already lining up suitors as he hits the market. This is something that the Cowboys weren’t expecting as it’ll be hard either way to see him walk. Coming off one of his best seasons in a while and now he’s free just like that. It seems unimaginable that talking heads will likely see Smith in a new uniform.
In his first five years in the league, he played in 79 out of 80 games, only missing one game. Of course, that went down downhill after numerous injuries he went through. It’s most likely the Cowboys may see Smith go down with another injury and aren’t willing to give him another contract. It could be a risky business move from Dallas to offer a new contract to an already broken tackle who’s been dealing with injuries.
Longtime Dallas Cowboy Tyron Smith Expected To Test Free Agency
Smith Is Already Lining up Suitors
According to a report, the New England Patriots are expected to pursue Smith. It seems like the Patriots are looking for a starting-caliber tackle that would benefit the future franchise quarterback they select in the draft. It would be a short-term solution for New England since they’re still restoring their offensive line. ESPN wrote that Smith and Dallas are on different sides when it comes to the salary cap.
However, for the Patriots, they have the cap space to sign someone like Smith. They currently have the highest available cap space in the league. Smith is set to be one of the top available tackles on the market and the Patriots probably won’t be the last team interested. Drafted with the 9th overall pick in 2011, he’s shaping up his career to land himself in the team’s Ring of Honor one day.
However, for now, he still has a lot of playing time before his career is over. The Patriots will look to add more star power to their offensive line with Tyron Smith as the starter as Left Tackle. It probably won’t be permanent depending on his success. If healthy, he could be worth every penny for the team he lands with next.
𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗦: The #Patriots are expected to pursue free agent OT Tyron Smith when free agency opens, per @ByMarkDaniels
Read More Here: https://t.co/ydIZ4X7D2F pic.twitter.com/EDuPwjC1Or
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) March 3, 2024
Big Shoes To Fill for Tyler Smith
There will be some big shoes to now fill for former first-round pick and left guard, Tyler Smith. He could fill the empty role after having success in both playing the tackle and guard position. Smith earned second-team All-Pro honors and helped the Cowboys win the NFC East behind a resurgent offense. There’s now some speculation and questioning if they will move Tyler to the position that Tyron left.
However, this just adds another list of worries for the Cowboys front office. Dallas is already over the cap with contract extensions expected for Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. There wouldn’t have been enough money either way for Tyron Smith to return even if they wanted to. There is still a strong class of offensive linemen that will be available that the Cowboys can possibly bring in on a cheap deal.
Guards like Kevin Dotson, Kevin Zeitler and others will be available that may spark interest from the Cowboys.
