Cowboys could be doomed after All-Pro goes on IR for surprise injury

The Cowboys hype train has stalled before it even hit the track. 

All the preseason hype has been behind Dallas.

Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens are returning to the league-leading offense. The defense has improved after picking up Quinnen Williams, rookie Caleb Downs, and new DC Christian Parker. 

But the team will have to start the season without one of its best players: Tyler Smith.

For casual fans out there, Smith is not a household name. But anyone who follows football, specifically offensive lines, knows his importance to this Cowboys offense. 

After Smith underwent surgery on a torn ligament in his left thumb, he'll take a trip to the IR for 4-6 weeks. 

So with one of the Cowboys best players sidelined, how will it affect Prescott, Lamb, and the rest of the team? 

Tyler Smith injury could derail Cowboys offense

It's hard to predict how Dallas will play without Tyler Smith because he doesn't miss many games. 

The left guard was drafted in the first round of the 2022 draft. Since then he's missed five total games. Each one he missed, the Cowboys won. 

But it's not that simple.

The Cowboys ranked 9th in rushing last year (125.6 ypg). The strength of their running game is on the interior. The core of Smith, Cooper Beebe, and Tyler Booker propelled Javonte Williams to a career year. 

Smith is by far the best of that trio. Not just the best of the three, he is the best lineman on the Cowboys roster. 

He is a 3-time Pro Bowler (2023, 2024, 2025) and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2023. 

Smith has also played at left tackle when the Cowboys have need protection on Prescott's blind side. 

The Cowboys mismanaged Tyler Smith's injury

The worst part of this situation? The Cowboys and Smith could've opted to have surgery much earlier. 

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters that the staff and Smith believed he could play through the injury when it first flared up.

Instead of being proactive and doing the surgery ASAP, the team opted to let it play out.

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“It’s been [bothering him] over time, and he’s such a tough guy,” Schottenheimer said. “I can’t say enough about Tyler, just the toughness. But at the end of the day, we can’t pinpoint when it happened," Schottenheimer said as reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Brian Schottenheimer explanation for Cowboys not having Tyler Smith thumb surgery sooner: “I think at the end of the day, you always think he can kind of play through these things. He's done things like that.” pic.twitter.com/6X6knGIy29

Now it will be TJ Bass at left guard for Dallas. He's started eight games in three years as an undrafted lineman. 

Bass has been a good backup, but he's far from a Pro Bowl guard. 

It's great that Dallas still has the health of its guys who get all the touchdowns. But Smith is an example of why football is a team game. There are 11 players on the field and Smith is one of the most important ones for America's Team. 

The Cowboys will have to hope they can keep things afloat and that Smith's thumb heals fast. 

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