FRISCO, Texas — Todd Archer of ESPN reported Monday night that Tyler Smith‘s thumb began bothering him late in camp in Oxnard, California. Back in Frisco, the Dallas Cowboys used two padded practices to look for a workaround that would let him play. Nothing held up. Surgery became the answer.
Archer said the four-game absence was probably unavoidable, no matter when Dallas operated. Even an earlier procedure, right after the team came home from California, would have meant injured reserve and the same missed month, because the Cowboys would have needed the roster spot. Surgery is the last option in these situations, not the first, Archer wrote.
Camp opened in Oxnard on July 27. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said on the first day that Smith would start at left guard and take some reps at tackle. Smith did not take a rep at tackle outside of walk-throughs all summer.
Dallas held Smith out of the preseason finale on Aug. 28, a 27-24 loss to the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium. Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele also sat.
What Brian Schottenheimer Said About The Tyler Smith Surgery
Schottenheimer said Monday that Smith’s toughness was never the question.
“You always see if you can kind of play through these things,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s done things like that, like a lot of guys have. They’ve all played through them. And unfortunately, when you’re an offensive lineman, grip strength and things like that are really important. And we know he’s a quick healer, and we want to get it fixed, and he’ll be back before too long.”
Schottenheimer said Smith will have surgery Tuesday morning and put the recovery at four to six weeks. He said there was no moment in camp he could point to, and that nobody can pinpoint when the injury happened. Smith hurt the left thumb.
Why Tyler Smith Stayed On The Dallas Cowboys’ 53-Man Roster
A player placed on injured reserve before a team sets its initial 53-man roster is out for the season. A player placed on injured reserve after that point can be designated to return and must miss at least four games. Dallas set its roster on Aug. 30 with Smith on it.
Four games takes Smith through the opener at the New York Giants on Sept. 13, the home opener against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 20, the meeting with the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro on Sept. 27, and the trip to the Houston Texans on Oct. 4. His first eligible game is Thursday, Oct. 8, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
T.J. Bass steps in at left guard on a second-round restricted free agent tender he signed March 17, worth $5.76 million for one season. Bass has 10 starts in 48 career games. Ajani Cornelius won a reserve interior spot in camp. He did not practice Monday because of a knee injury.
Smith was the 24th overall pick of the 2022 draft out of Tulsa. He has 63 starts in 63 career games and has been to three straight Pro Bowls. He signed a four-year, $96 million extension in September 2025 that included $81.2 million guaranteed and made him the highest-paid guard in the league at $24 million per season.
Dallas practiced Monday and is off Tuesday. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT Sunday on NBC at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
