Dallas Cowboys Lose All-Pro Guard Tyler Smith to Thumb Surgery

Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer announced that left guard Tyler Smith will undergo surgery on his left thumb and be placed on injured reserve. The procedure is expected to sideline Smith for at least the first four games of the 2026 regular season, with a projected recovery window of four to six weeks.

Sports Illustrated

Smith, the Cowboys’ first-round pick in 2022, has emerged as the team’s premier interior lineman. He earned Pro Bowl honors in each of his first three seasons, joining franchise legends Larry Allen and Zack Martin as the only guards to achieve three Pro Bowls within four years. The Cowboys entered the 2026 season after a 7-9-1 campaign under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, hoping to improve their offensive line stability to support quarterback Dak Prescott’s passing attack.

Newsweek

• Pro Bowl selections: 2023, 2024, 2025 (three consecutive).

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• All-Pro honors: Second-team All-Pro in 2023.

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• PFF grades (2025): Overall 73.5 (15th of 81 guards); run-blocking 81.1 (5th).

Newsweek

• Contract: Four-year, $96 million deal signed September 2025.

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• Replacement: T.J. Bass, a restricted free agent who re-signed on a one-year, $5.7 million contract; in 2025 he allowed zero sacks on 352 snaps and posted pass-blocking and run-blocking grades of 62.9 and 65.8, respectively.

Sports Illustrated

Schottenheimer also praised Smith’s toughness, calling him “such a tough guy” and emphasizing the team’s desire to “get it fixed” early in the year.

ESPN

Two timelines for Smith’s return appear in the coverage:

Sports Illustrated

• ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the earliest Smith could play would be the Week 6 matchup in early October, a short-week game against Tampa Bay.

ESPN

• Other outlets state a broader “four to six weeks” recovery window, with the possibility of a return as late as mid-October.

NBC Sports

The discrepancy reflects differing interpretations of the surgical recovery period versus the team’s schedule. No definitive return date has been confirmed by the Cowboys.

NBC Sports

• “Cowboys All-Pro LG Tyler Smith is scheduled to undergo thumb surgery Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined 4-6 weeks, per Dallas HC Brian Schottenheimer,” — ESPN’s Adam Schefter

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• “Tyler Smith is set to have surgery on his left thumb and will be placed on injured reserve, which will cost him the first four games of the season,” — ESPN’s Todd Archer

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• “He's such a tough guy. I can't say enough about Tyler,” — Brian Schottenheimer, coach

ESPN

• “That's why we coveted T.J. Bass, and having T.J. Bass back,” — Brian Schottenheimer, coach

Sports Illustrated

• “Cowboys All-Pro LG Tyler Smith is set to have thumb surgery, coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters,” — NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport

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T.J. Bass will start at left guard for the Cowboys’ season opener against the New York Giants and continue through at least the first four weeks. The team’s schedule in that span includes games against the Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Monitoring Smith’s rehabilitation progress will be crucial; a return in early October would align with the Buccaneers matchup, while a later comeback could push his debut to the Week 6 contest against Green Bay.

NBC Sports