Cowboys' Tyler Smith Expected to Start at Left Tackle

Speaking on 105.3 The Fan, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said it’s “safe to say” that rookie Tyler Smith will be the team’s starter at left tackle in the wake of Tyron Smith’s hamstring injury, which is expected to sideline the latter until at least December.

Tyler Smith is currently dealing with his own injury (ankle) but is fully expected to suit up for Week 1’s contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“We’ve got to get him out here and get him practiced here over the couple of weeks relative to any issue he had with a little high ankle (sprain),” said Jones. “But we don’t think that’s serious enough to limit his preparation… 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 to come any earlier than it needed – but we knew he had to get ready to replace our left tackle, and he was the pick.”

Described by many analysts as “raw” heading into the draft, Smith was penalized 25 times over his last 21 games at the college level. How the 21-year-old fares in protecting quarterback Dak Prescott’s blindside will go a long way in the Cowboys finding success in 2022.

FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the Cowboys’ Super Bowl LVII odds at +2000.