Smith injury increases Giants' chances of upsetting Cowboys in Week 1

Dallas Cowboys guard Tyler Smith. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Giants' chances of upsetting Cowboys in Week 1 increase after Tyler Smith injury update

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Sep 8, 2026 8:01 AM ET

Big Blue's pass rush may leave quarterback Dak Prescott bruised in Week 1 after the Dallas Cowboys lost one of their best offensive linemen on Monday.

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman Tyler Smith is set to undergo left thumb surgery on Tuesday, and the team will place him on injured reserve. He's expected to miss four to six weeks.

How Tyler Smith's injury impacts Week 1 matchup against New York Giants

Smith's injury will further expose the Cowboys' pass-protection problems. Last season, he was one of the few reliable pass-protectors for a unit that struggled to keep Prescott upright. Per Pro Football Focus, the QB was pressured on 233 dropbacks last season, the seventh most in the NFL.

Smith didn't allow most of those. Splitting time at left tackle and left guard, he blew nine blocks on 644 pass snaps, via Sports Info Solutions. That number marked the second-fewest in his first four seasons.

Cowboys All-Pro LG Tyler Smith is scheduled to undergo thumb surgery Tuesday, HC Brian Schottenheimer announced.

Smith is expected to be sidelined 4-6 weeks pic.twitter.com/l9HuzS6025
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 7, 2026

Smith was slated to start at left guard this season alongside left tackle Tyler Guyton. Third-year offensive lineman T.J. Bass will replace Smith. SIS credited Bass with five blown blocks on 199 pass snaps last season.

Bass may be serviceable, but he may not hold his own against the league's top pass-rushers. The short list includes Giants linebacker Brian Burns. In 2025, he finished second in the league in sacks (16.5 in 17 games), earning a second-team All-Pro nod. He may be even better under new head coach John Harbaugh, who won Super Bowl XLVII with the Baltimore Ravens.

"I just think [Burns] does so many things well; he's going to excel," Harbaugh said in August. "Hopefully, we'll be able to free him up a little bit. Some of our blitzes and things like that. But he's going to draw a lot of attention. They're going to be looking to block him. So, it's tough when you're that guy."

Harbaugh added that Burns drawing double-teams could help LBs Arvell Reese (rookie), Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux get more sacks. They should wear down the Dallas O-line, which could falter without Smith.

As of Monday, DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Cowboys as three-point favorites in their road matchup on NBC's "Sunday Night Football." If the Giants can exploit the loss of Smith and keep Prescott under duress for most of the evening, they should keep it close.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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