Cowboys offensive tackle roster review: Tyron Smith’s fate will determine a lot at the position

Tyron Smith’s free agency hangs over the entire offensive line; a major variable in the Cowboys’ 2024 offseason.

The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2024 offseason with a glaring issue at offensive tackle. Tyron Smith’s contract is expiring and there’s no great option to replace him at left tackle. Dallas now has to weigh the balance of Smith’s age and injury history with their other options, plus the fact that the veteran is still one of the league’s top tackles when he plays.

Smith is the team’s eldest statesman, at least in Cowboys years. He was the first draft pick of the Jason Garrett era in 2011 and was an immediate starter. He’s been to eight Pro Bowls and was named a first- or second-team All-Pro five times, including last season for the first time since 2016.

The bond between Smith and the Cowboys is strong, enough that the veteran graciously agreed to convert $9 million of last year’s base salary into incentives to help Dallas’ cap space. Now that he’s a free agent, will that same bond keep the two parties together or will other factors get in the way?

Smith turns 34 in December, which is far from an expiration date for many offensive linemen, but what’s concerning is how many games he misses. Smith was absent for four contests in 2023, 13 in 2022, five in 2021, and missed all but two games in 2020. Thankfully, whether by strategy or circumstance, he’s never missed a postseason game. But the odds aren’t great for consistent future reliability.

Even amid frustration over the absences, Smith is one of the best left tackles in football when he’s on the field. That was reaffirmed this past season with the All-Pro nod. It just adds to the uncertainty of how Dallas will proceed at one of their most important positions with one of their most beloved players.

Another key part of the discussion is the Cowboys’ other options. And folks, they ain’t pretty.

OTs Under Contract for 2024

• Terence Steele – $11m cap hit
• Josh Ball – $1.18m cap hit
• Matt Waletzko – $996k cap hit
• Asim Richards – $976k cap hit
• Earl Bostick – $795k cap hit

Steele isn’t a candidate to move to the left side. Frankly, he wasn’t that good on the right side this year. But the Cowboys will hope that was mostly due to Steele’s 2022 ACL injury and the common struggles players have their first year back. They’re locked into Steele for at least one more season, just one year into the five-year deal he signed offseason. He’ll be the right tackle in 2024 with the goal of getting back to pre-injury form.

Recent draft picks like Josh Ball, Asim Richards, and Matt Waletzko have not shown they’re ready to protect Dak Prescott’s blind side. Ball may not even be on the team much longer, offering about $1 million in cap relief if released. Richards was a college tackle but more of a guard in the NFL. Waletzko is still raw and inexperienced after missing a lot of time with shoulder issues.

While backup roles aren’t off the table, the idea of any of these guys starting next season would seem too risky given the Cowboys’ postseason goals. Even drafting a rookie as high as the first round would be a liability with no guarantee of immediate impact. This would seem to push Dallas closer to re-signing Smith, even with his own set of risks that we’ve already discussed.

At this point, some of you might be thinking, “Why don’t they just move Tyler Smith to left tackle again?” That’s certainly an option, but not as good as it may look on paper.

True, Tyler was a viable left tackle when he played it off-and-on as a rookie. But as many projected when he was drafted in 2022, and especially after his All-Pro and Pro Bowl second season, Tyler is a rising superstar at guard. His presence there will not only help the guy on his left but perhaps the center to his right, which could be especially important if Tyler Biadasz departs in free agency.

Moving the younger Smith to left tackle would not only lessen him as a player but you’d still have to figure out your next left guard and perhaps center as well. Unless you’re stuck without a chair when the music stops, keeping Smith at guard preserves stability at three of your five starting positions and hopefully makes the other two stronger.

Outside free agents don’t make much sense here, either. For one, who could you bring in at a reasonable price that is as good as Tyron Smith? It would make more sense to lean into Smith’s loyalty and hopefully retain him at a relative discount. That’s especially true with a $6 million cap hit already on the books due to a void year from prior restructuring. If Dallas re-signs Tyron, that cap hit can be worked into the new deal and allow you to get something for it instead of just dead money.

At most, Dallas might want to re-sign Chuma Edoga or add some other veteran as a potential swing tackle. While it’s reasonable that one of Ball, Richards, or Waletzko could serve in that role, the added insurance of an experienced player doesn’t hurt.

So again, it all circles back to the big question. Will Tyron Smith stay or will 2024 be the first time since 2010 that he wasn’t a Cowboy? There is even a scenario where Smith makes the call for Dallas by retiring. It may be the biggest roster decision of the entire offseason, one that Dallas will likely answer before free agency begins in March.