According to Brandon George from the Dallas Morning News, All-Pro Left Tackle, Tyron Smith will not practice for an “extended stretch” related to soreness in his back.
The Cowboys are shutting down Tyron Smith for another extended stretch because of sore back, meaning he'll practice twice in 14-day stretch.
— Brandon George (@DMN_George) August 9, 2017
While injuries are a part of the NFL, one can’t help but be a little distressed that the anchor of the offensive line–especially in pass protection–will miss another stretch of practice.
For Tyron Smith, his back has become a lingering issue.
In 2016, it caused him to miss starts against the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers. Having already sat out extended portions of practice time, it looks like Smith is going to miss more time as well.
Prior to the 2016 season, Smith had only sat out one game from 2011-2015. Now having missed two at the beginning of last year and missing practice time, this is definitely concerning.
As Kevin Brady discussed just the other day, the offensive line may have some depth issues.
Chaz Green is trying to work his way back from a shoulder injury, leaving Byron Bell and Emmett Cleary as the most experienced tackles on the roster.
More than likely this is precautionary for their star tackle, but back issues tend to linger. As someone who’s “real job” is in the medical field, I’ve taken care of a lot of patients with bad backs, and they never really get better; just managed.
This likely means that Tyron Smith won’t play this week against the Los Angeles Rams.
The only part of this that matters is getting Smith and whoever starts at left guard on the same page in some game situations. Chemistry is very important to an offensive line. They need time together to learn each other.
There is still a long way to go until week one versus the New York Giants, which is certainly the priority. Resting Tyron Smith now is essential to starting the season on the right foot. Missing time in August is much more manageable than missing time in September.
For Tyron Smith and the Dallas Cowboys, hopefully that’s all the time he’ll miss.
