Tyron Smith’s Health Could Determine Cowboys Postseason Success

The Dallas Cowboys have been pretty fortunate to avoid major injuries to their key players this season, which is a big reason why they could possibly tie their season win record tonight against the Detroit Lions with their 13th victory.

Now, the Cowboys don’t really have anything to play for since they have already clinched the division and the #1 playoff seed. So, people have already begun to speculate whether or not the Cowboys should rest some of their starters to make sure they are available in the postseason.

Of course, Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett have both gone on record stating that they plan on having all hands on deck the final two games of the regular season and don’t plan on giving any of their starters a game off. But, is that really the smart thing to do, especially regarding arguably the most important player for the teams success from here on out, Tyron Smith?

Yes, I believe Tyron Smith is probably the most important player on the entire Cowboys roster. I mean, if he goes down with an injury, who are you going to insert into the lineup to replace him?

Tyron Smith has been battling with nagging injuries the majority of the season, but this past week he missed nearly every practice so that he could hopefully be available to suit up tonight against the Detroit Lions.

It’s no secret that Smith is one of the, if not the best left tackles in the entire NFL. He is responsible for protecting Dak Prescott’s backside and is a major reason why Ezekiel Elliott is leading the league in rushing.

I really can’t express enough the importance of having Tyron Smith in the lineup and how much he impacts what the Dallas Cowboys do offensively.

If it was up to me, I would sit Smith these final two games and let him have the time off to recuperate from some of these nagging injuries that have plagued him nearly the entire season. That would have given him approximately three whole weeks to recover before the Cowboys take the field for their first playoff game.

Unfortunately, that’s really not an option due to the fact the Cowboys don’t have the depth at the position to have an adequate fill in.

Depth at the tackle position first became a problem when last seasons swing tackle, Charles Brown, decided to unexpectedly retire. Brown and Chaz Green were expected to compete to see who became the swing tackle in 2016, but with Brown’s retirement, it was a position battle that never happened.

I was really surprised that the Cowboys didn’t bring anybody in to compete with Green, but thankfully when he had to fill in a couple of games for Tyron Smith earlier in the season, he performed better than anyone could have possibly expected.

But to complicate matters even further, Chaz Green unfortunately battled with nagging injuries as well, which ultimately landed him on injured reserve for the second season in a row.

The Dallas Cowboys are now left with Emmett Cleary as the only option to replace either Tyron Smith or Doug Free if something were to happen to either player.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I would feel very comfortable with Cleary as a bookend on either side protecting the quarterback. That’s not a knock against Cleary, just an observation that it would be a huge downgrade talent wise.

The Cowboys could possibly reshuffle the entire offensive line to get the best five players on the field, but then you’re messing with the continuity and familiarity that has made this unit the best in the NFL.

So, if you’re anything like me, then you are going to be keeping a close watchful eye on #77 tonight against the Detroit Lions to make sure he’s not putting himself at risk to further injury.

I just don’t think the Cowboys can survive if anything were to happen to Tyron Smith. To me, he is the most important player on the roster and his performance from here on out will ultimately determine the success the Dallas Cowboys have in the postseason.

Do you agree or disagree?

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