Longtime Cowboys tackle unlikely to return to Dallas

Tyron Smith‘s 13-year stint in Dallas has likely come to an end. The impending free-agent left tackle is unlikely to return to the Cowboys, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

This news comes after Friday’s report that Smith and the Cowboys discussed a potential return at the NFL Scouting Combine. We can only assume that those talks didn’t go well, and the All-Pro left tackle will now be looking to take his talents elsewhere.

The 2011 first-round pick has spent his entire career with the Cowboys, earning five All-Pro nods and eight Pro Bowl appearances. Smith inked an eight-year, $109M contract in 2014 that once reset the position’s market. The veteran earned only $7.3M this past season due to multiple restructurings, and the organization opted not to hand him an extension.

Injuries continue to plague Smith’s career; the lineman has missed at least three games each season since 2015. The left tackle missed 27 combined games in 2020 and 2022, and he got into 24 of 34 possible games during his two most recent “healthy” seasons (2021, 2023).

As we passed along yesterday, Smith and the Cowboys agreed to a new practice regimen to keep the 33-year-old healthy. The organization tolerated his absences as long as he was available for the team’s biggest games. Smith hasn’t missed any of the team’s four playoff games over the past three seasons.

While injuries are a clear issue at this stage of Smith’s career, the offensive lineman has continued to perform when on the field. Pro Football Focus graded him as the fourth-best offensive tackle this past season, including a position-leading pass-block score. Other than his lost 2020 and 2022 campaigns, Smith has graded as at least a top-20 OT in each of his NFL seasons, and it doesn’t look like he’s showing any signs of slowing down.

Still, considering his age and injury risks, Smith can’t expect to break the bank on his next deal. Pro Football Focus offered Terron Armstead‘s five-year, $75M contract with the Dolphins in 2022 as a comparison. While the former Saints OT had his fair share of injuries at the time of the signing, he was also significantly younger than Smith is now. The site ultimately settled on a one-year, $10M contract for Smith, which would keep him around the top 20 highest-paid players at his position. If a bidding war develops, the veteran could climb the AAV list, although he may be hard-pressed to get a long-term deal.

As for the Cowboys, the team has an in-house replacement for Smith. The team used a first-round pick on Tyler Smith in the 2022 draft, and the lineman has only missed three games through his first two seasons in the NFL. Jon Machota of The Athletic notes that offensive tackle is a likely target of the organization with their No. 24 pick.