The Cowboys are about to lose Tyler Smith for at least the first month of the season, a hit that turns one of their most stable spots into an early problem. Brian Schottenheimer said Monday that Smith will undergo thumb surgery and go on injured reserve, which means T.J. Bass is set to start at left guard.
That news lands now because the Cowboys are heading into the part of the schedule that leaves little room for a slow start. They open with the Giants, then face the Commanders, Ravens and Texans in the first four weeks, and Smith will definitely miss all four games because of the injured reserve move. For a player who has rarely been far from the lineup — all 17 games as a rookie in 2022, 14 games in 2023 and 16 games in each of the last two years — the loss is more than a routine depth change. It is a shift for a line that had come through training camp and the preseason without a major injury before this.
Schottenheimer said the team has a ton of confidence in Bass, and the move gives Dallas a way to protect the roster by opening a spot while Smith recovers. Nick Leverett could also be added from the practice squad and would likely handle the backup center role, but the bigger question is how much the rest of the line changes around him. Smith will be designated for return from injured reserve, and he would first be eligible to play against the Bucs on Oct. 8.
That date is only the first possible opening, not a promise. Smith is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, which puts his return somewhere between a clean return at the front end and a longer wait that stretches beyond the earliest eligibility window. The Cowboys do not have to decide that today, but they do have to play the first month without an All-Pro starter who has missed at least one game in four straight years. For a team already staring at NFL football games today with no margin to spare, the injury changes the shape of September before the season even settles in.
