Jerry Jones weighs in on whether Tyler Smith is ready to take over at LT
On Tuesday, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones opened up about rookie first-rounder Tyler Smith and his situation at left tackle on 105.3 The Fan. Jones threw his weight behind the former Tulsa star as he begins the process of stepping in for injured All-Pro Tyron Smith.
“I think that’s safe to say,” Jones said when asked if the rookie will start at left tackle. “We’ve got to get him out here and get him practiced here over the next couple of weeks relative to any issue he had with a little high ankle (sprain). But we don’t think that’s serious enough to limit his preparation.”
Smith suffered a mild ankle sprain that kept him out of the Cowboys’ final preseason game on Friday but Jones is staying optimistic.
Although Dallas received a lot of raised eyebrows at the time for selecting Smith in the first round, it’s clear in hindsight that the team needed the addition.
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“Now, what is the case is he hasn’t been there at left tackle,” Jones said. “He is a rookie. But he’s a first-round pick and he deserved to be a first-round pick in my mind. And so we knew – we just didn’t want it come any earlier than it needed – but we knew we had to get ready to replace our left tackle and he
was the pick.”
Tyler Smith to slot in at left tackle
Tyler Smith was not a highly sought-after prospect coming out of high school in 2019, but quickly became a key part of the Tulsa offensive line. In his final season with Tulsa as a starting left tackle, he helped their offense rank 39th in pass protection in the FBS, only allowing a 5.4 percent sack rate.
On the red carpet at the Cowboys’ season kickoff event, the rookie opened up about his readiness to play left tackle in week one.
“I’ve played left tackle for a while, but I can’t give you an honest answer right now because you know, I’ve been working guard since the preseason,” Smith revealed. “But you know, I’m ready. I’ve practiced for this my coaches, coach [Joe Philbin], coach [Jeff Blasco], they’ve prepared me for this, so I’ll be ready for when the time comes.”
Tyron Smith suffered a serious injury to his left hamstring last week. The injury will keep him off the field until at least December, according to the Cowboys. Dallas has, unfortunately, become used to plugging in the Smith-shaped hole on the offensive line.
The former USC Trojan hasn’t played a full season since 2015. He missed 14 games in 2020 because of neck surgery and six games last season due to an ankle injury and COVID.
On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report.