Tyler Smith updates progress on ankle injury, readiness to potentially play tackle
Tyler Smith‘s ankle is “all good,” following an injury, though the Cowboys offensive lineman won’t play in Dallas’ final preseason game this Friday, he revealed on the Cowboys’ red carpet at a celebration of the Cowboys’ season kickoff.
The details of his injury came out on Tuesday where the severity of the injury was downplayed for the Dallas first-round draft pick. Now it seems that he could be back and ready to suit up for Dallas’ Week One matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the first Sunday Night Football game of Smith’s career.
“It was tough for sure, but it’s just a part of the game,” Smith said. “It’s a 100 percent injury business. I’m fortunate that it is nothing severe and that I’ll be back soon. I’m just looking forward [to returning] and taking it day by day.”
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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 by only allowing a 5.4 percent sack rate. Now, the Cowboys are looking to slot him at multiple positions if need be.
“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.”
With the start of the regular season still being just over two weeks away, Smith being out recovering from a minor injury may not be the worst thing in the world for Dallas right now. Smith believes he’ll be back on the field before their season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and if Smith is correct, there is little to be concerned about.