Tyler Smith discusses moving from left guard to left tackle

When Tyron Smith went down with a long-term injury, there could have been a sense of panic for the Dallas Cowboys. There was no surefire left tackle on the roster to protect quarterback Dak Prescott. Even after drafting Tyler Smith in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, he had spent all of training camp at left guard.

Nobody in the organization has seemingly been worried, with head coach Mike McCarthy and owner/general manager Jerry Jones being happy with what was in-house. Even with Jason Peters visiting, Dallas has wanted to figure it out from within.

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The plan seems to be to move Tyler Smith to left tackle, where he played in college. Smith talked about the transition, saying there’s not much difference between there and left guard. Just slight adjustments when it comes to getting out of his break.

“They didn’t take me and move me to the right side where that’s a whole different kick leg. …I’m still generating power from the same areas,” Smith said via Jori Epstein of USA TODAY. “It’s just different footwork, little bit of a different stance, different things to tighten up.”

When Tyler Smith was drafted 19th overall, he was viewed as the long-term replacement for Tyron Smith, who has been one of the best in his career. However, using a first-round pick on an offensive lineman and seeing him on the bench is not beneficial. Left guard and possibly creating position versatility was the thought for the Cowboys.

Now, injury has forced a sped-up timeline. Tyler Smith has been dealing with a minor injury himself but will be back in practice getting left tackle reps before the season opener against Tampa Bay.

Dallas weighing options with Tyler Smith, bring Jason Peters in for visit

The Dallas Cowboys are currently desperate for offensive line help and on Wednesday afternoon, they decided to schedule veteran offensive tackle, Jason Peters, for a visit, per Todd Archer of ESPN. He is scheduled to visit with the franchise on Thursday, per Jon Machota of The Athletic.

Peters has played most of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles but spent last season with the Chicago Bears, where he earned a 77.5 grade from Pro Football Focus. It’ll be interesting to see if the Cowboys believe he still has some juice left in the tank at 40 years old.