The Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line was a pretty big question mark going into the season.
Now, they’re without Tyron Smith.
Tyron Smith, Dallas’ eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle, reportedly is undergoing surgery Friday for a torn hamstring, sustained during practice Wednesday. The hope is he can return in December, but the Cowboys are going to be without their longtime left tackle for the bulk of the season. They already lost La’el Collins and Connor Williams in the offseason, and the Smith injury now adds even more uncertainty to the position group.
Considering the Cowboys already are limited at wide receiver, Dak Prescott having less time to throw to a pass-catching group that isn’t as deep as it was in 2021 could be a problematic combination.
It’s for that reason the longtime NFL reporter Rich Eisen unleashed a rant Thursday on his show in which he predicted that the NFC East will now go to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Screw it, I’ll just say it right now. I was going to wait until the first week of the season or the week leading up: I’m choosing the Eagles to win the division. This seals it for me," Eisen said. "I think they have more of a chance to win. I understand who Dak is, I understand who Jalen Hurts is becoming, but I look at the weapons that the Eagles have at wide receiver – I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I’m saying it – they’re better than what the Cowboys have.
“I know CeeDee Lamb, everybody is expecting to him to have a breakout season, is Dak going to be upright long enough to find him? And why wouldn’t somebody shade their defense (Lamb's) way every single time? You put your best corner on him, and then maybe you’ll shade your safety if there’s a problem. Everybody knows where Dak is going to be looking.
“And I like the Eagles have built their defense, I like the Eagles running game, I like the way the Eagles are playing. They made the playoffs last year themselves, the Eagles had as many playoff victories last season as the Cowboys. This is significant, to say the least.”
Tyler Smith seems most likely to step in at left tackle. The 2022 first-round pick out of Tulsa was expected to take over that role one day, but had been used as a left guard during camp. If they prefer to keep him there, Matt Waletzko or Josh Ball could be options, but neither have played in a regular-season NFL game nor are far removed from injuries.
The Eagles were the darling of the offseason, making shrewd moves in free agency while being lauded for their work in the draft. Optimism was high for them in the first place, and with such a devastating blow to their top competition in the division, the Eagles have to be feeling good about their potential this season.
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