FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys are signing offensive lineman Nick Leverett to the active roster from the practice squad, Todd Archer of ESPN reported Wednesday morning, citing a source. Leverett gives Dallas a backup interior lineman on gameday with Tyler Smith out four to six weeks.
Smith had surgery Tuesday to repair ligament damage in his left thumb. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer announced the procedure Monday and put the absence at four to six weeks. Dallas placed Smith on injured reserve with a designation to return, which carries a four-game minimum. Smith is not eligible to play again until Thursday, Oct. 8, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
T.J. Bass takes over at left guard. Bass is also listed second at center behind Cooper Beebe on the unofficial depth chart Dallas released Tuesday, the only Cowboys lineman on the chart carrying two assignments. He signed a second-round restricted free agent tender on March 17 worth $5.76 million for one season.
Schottenheimer said Smith had been playing through the thumb since training camp and practiced through last week.
“We can’t pinpoint when it happened,” Schottenheimer said. “We made the decision that the best thing is to get in front of this. It’s a long season, so let’s get this fixed.”
Nick Leverett Started At Center In The Preseason For The Dallas Cowboys
Leverett worked at both guard and center over the summer. He started at center in the 34-13 preseason win at Arizona.
Dallas released Leverett on Aug. 30 among 35 moves to reach the 53-man limit. Enough accrued service meant a release rather than a trip through waivers. The Cowboys re-signed him to the practice squad the next day. No other interior offensive lineman was on it.
Twice in a week, and three times in a season, a practice squad player can be elevated for game day before his team has to sign him to the active roster. Dallas skips that count by signing Leverett outright.
Tampa Bay signed Leverett as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Across stops with the Buccaneers, the New England Patriots, and the Arizona Cardinals, he has 23 career games and 11 starts. Ten of those starts came in 2022. He played 760 offensive snaps at left guard for Tampa Bay that season, 94% of the team’s total. Last season in Dallas he appeared in one game. All four of his snaps came on special teams.
Leverett spent four years at North Carolina Central before a final season at Rice. He started all 46 games of his college career. All-Conference USA honors came in 2019, when he started every game at left guard for the Owls. Leverett turned 29 in January. He is listed at 6-3 and 310 pounds.
Dallas Cowboys Open At New York Giants With Tyler Smith On Injured Reserve
Dallas took Smith 24th overall out of Tulsa in 2022. He has 63 career games and has started every one. Smith has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons at left guard. The 2023 season brought second-team All-Pro honors. Last September the Cowboys signed him to a four-year, $96 million extension.
Schottenheimer said Monday that the Cowboys have a “ton of confidence” in Bass, who has 48 career games and 10 starts. Five of those starts came last season. Beebe is back at center after missing six games with an ankle injury in 2025. He has started all 27 games he has played.
Dallas and the New York Giants split last season. The Cowboys won 40-37 in overtime at AT&T Stadium in Week 2, and New York closed the year with a 34-17 win at MetLife Stadium in Week 18.
The Cowboys play the Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
