FRISCO, Texas — T.J. Bass takes over at left guard for the Dallas Cowboys. Tyler Smith had surgery Tuesday to repair ligament damage in his left thumb and is going on injured reserve, which requires him to miss a minimum of four games. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday that Smith is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Dallas opens Sunday night at the New York Giants.
Smith had been playing through the injury since training camp and practiced through last week. He was not on the field to open the week of preparation for the opener.
“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.”
Dallas released its unofficial depth chart Tuesday and still listed Smith at left guard. Bass is second there. He is also second at center behind Cooper Beebe, which makes him the only Dallas lineman on the chart carrying two assignments. Dallas re-signed Bass as a restricted free agent this offseason.
Grip strength is what Schottenheimer said matters for an offensive lineman, and he called Smith a quick healer.
“Something that he’s just been dealing with and he’ll probably go on IRDTR for four to six weeks,” Schottenheimer explained. “Just the other day, [he] felt like [he] couldn’t do the things that he had to do at a high level.”
Tyler Smith Has Made The Pro Bowl In Each Of His Three Seasons At Left Guard
Smith went 24th overall to Dallas in 2022. As a rookie he started at left tackle after Tyron Smith was injured in training camp. The move inside came in 2023, and he has made the Pro Bowl in all three seasons at left guard. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2023. Across four seasons he has never missed more than three games in a year.
Last season Smith blew nine blocks on 644 pass snaps, according to Sports Info Solutions. Dak Prescott was pressured on 233 dropbacks in 2025, seventh most in the league, per Pro Football Focus. Prescott completed 404 of 600 passes for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the first game Smith is eligible to return for, and it falls on a Thursday. Dallas plays at the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 18.
Dallas Cowboys Will Carry Eight Offensive Linemen
Schottenheimer said Monday that the staff will settle on eight offensive linemen during the week, and that special teams factors into how the game-day roster gets built. Teams may activate 48 players if at least eight of them are offensive linemen, and 47 if fewer.
Tyler Guyton is the left tackle, with rookie Drew Shelton behind him. At right guard it is Tyler Booker and then Ajani Cornelius. Terence Steele holds right tackle. Behind Steele sits Broderick Jones, whom Dallas acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 29. Wanya Morris arrived the same week.
Steele has started 91 of his 96 career games and started all 17 in each of the past three seasons. Last season he played 1,162 offensive snaps, 98% of the team total.
Javonte Williams ran 252 times for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns behind that line last season. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is 7:20 p.m. CT Sunday on NBC.
