The Dallas Cowboys took a hit this week with their season opener against the NFC East rival New York Giants only days away. All-Pro offensive lineman Tyler Smith had to undergo thumb surgery on Monday afternoon, and the team responded by placing him on injured reserve with a designation to return.
Smith will be out a minimum of four to six weeks after the procedure, which was performed by Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles. Shin has previously worked with NBA stars like Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant.
To help fill the opening on the 53-man roster, Dallas moved quickly. On Wednesday morning, Cowboys insider Todd Archer of ESPN.com reported that the team is signing offensive lineman Nick Leverett to the active roster from the practice squad.
Leverett gives the Cowboys some flexibility up front. He can play both center and guard, and Dallas had originally signed him to the practice squad after training camp.
The club had tried to avoid surgery at first, hoping Smith might be able to protect the thumb or play through the pain. Those efforts didn’t work during the team’s two practices back in Frisco, and surgery ended up being the best path.
“Unfortunately, when you're an offensive lineman, grip strength and things like that are really important,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said of Smith's injury, via ESPN's Todd Archer.
Now the Cowboys are left waiting on one of their top blockers while hoping the rest of the line can stay intact. Losing a player of Smith’s caliber before the season is a tough blow, especially for a team that needs to keep its quarterback protected.
There is at least one encouraging note in Smith’s recovery path. Dr. Shin also operated on Oklahoma football star quarterback John Mateer last season, and Mateer was back on the field just 17 days later.
That doesn’t mean Smith is headed for that kind of return as an offensive lineman, but it does show Shin has handled a similar injury successfully before.
While Smith is on injured reserve, he will miss games against the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens or Houston Texans.
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