T.J. Bass is about to get the kind of chance that can change a player’s whole trajectory, even if nobody in Dallas wanted the door opened this way.
With Tyler Smith sidelined by a thumb injury, Bass is lined up to start Sunday night against the Giants, and that turns a trusted reserve into a player under a very bright spotlight. For a backup offensive lineman, the job is usually about being ready without ever becoming the headline. Bass is about to be the headline.
Dallas already treated him like more than an ordinary fill-in. The Cowboys signed him to a one-year, $5.77 million deal this offseason, a fully guaranteed salary tied to the second-round restricted free agency tender they placed on him last spring. That kind of money says the team sees real value in him as depth, and the way the roster is built explains why he was always likely to get real snaps at some point.
Bass is the top backup at both guard spots, and after Matt Hennessy’s injury he also became the backup center. So no matter whether the missing piece ended up being Smith, Tyler Booker or Cooper Beebe, Bass was going to be the next man up eventually. The difference now is that the opening has arrived sooner and with a bigger spotlight attached to it.
There’s also a longer game here. Bass is on a one-year deal, and unrestricted free agency in 2027 is waiting for him. With Smith expected to miss at least a month and maybe two, Bass now has a chance to put meaningful tape in front of the league and show he belongs among the NFL’s starting guards.
Some already believe he’s done enough to make that case. Pro Football Focus ranked Bass 30th among all guards last year, a ranking based almost entirely on the five games he started in 2025. Even if there’s room to argue with the grading, the basic point holds: five games were enough to make him look like a solid starter.
That helps explain why there’s no real suspense about who replaces Smith in the lineup. Dallas has seen enough to trust Bass, and this week’s attention should be bigger than anything he’s experienced before. If he plays well Sunday night, the reaction will be loud, and so will the exposure.
And there’s another angle worth watching. If Bass performs well over the next several weeks, he could become trade bait before the November 10 deadline. Tyler Smith is expected back well before then, and if Smith, Beebe and Booker are all healthy, a guard-needy team might come calling.
The Cowboys could use that second-round RFA tender from this year as leverage, even if it’s no longer binding. A third or fourth would not be a bad return for a player they might otherwise lose in free agency next March.
For Bass, the next stretch is enormous. A strong run could mean more money in 2027 and perhaps a ticket out of Dallas next spring. For the Cowboys, it would be a good problem to have - one created while they try to survive Smith’s absence and keep the season moving.
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Cowboys Suddenly Face A Week 1 Problem They Know Too Well
Malik Nabers is back in the mix for the Giants just in time for Week 1, and that matters because Dallas opens the season facing a receiver it has already spent plenty of time game-planning around. Nabers was a full participant in practice after working his way back from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 4, clearing up the uncertainty that had hung over his availability for the matchup.
For the Cowboys, the timing is less than ideal. New York is getting ready for its first game under head coach John Harbaugh, and Nabers presence gives that offense a dangerous piece right away against a Dallas defense coordinated by Christian Parker. Even before kickoff, the Cowboys are dealing with a familiar kind of early-season stress test, the sort that can turn a clean opener into a long afternoon. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Jones Just Gave Cowboys Fans A New Reason To Watch Week 1
Jerry Jones gave Cowboys fans a little extra to monitor as Week 1 approaches, saying Dallas is still "in play" for potential trades while stopping short of putting a timetable on anything. It is the kind of late-summer update that keeps the front office chatter alive, especially with the roster still taking shape around a defense that has already drawn attention for Christian Parker's role on the coaching staff.
Kenny Clark also enters the season with added responsibility after being named a captain for 2026, joining Dak Prescott, Brandon Aubrey and Quinnen Williams among the team's leaders. For a Cowboys team trying to settle its identity early, those names point to a locker room built around experience and stability, even as Jones leaves the door open for more change down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Could Be Watching A Costly Secondary Opportunity Develop
The Cowboys have been tied to plenty of defensive rumor traffic as the calendar creeps toward the Nov. 10 trade deadline, and Joey Porter Jr. has emerged as one of the more intriguing names to watch. The Steelers cornerback had been viewed as a possible trade chip, with Dallas and Washington both mentioned as potential suitors if Pittsburgh ever decided to move him, which would naturally catch the eye of a Cowboys team always looking for help on the back end.
But the latest word out of Pittsburgh is that the Steelers may simply hold onto Porter, even as contract talks remain at an impasse and his status for the start of the season is unsettled. For Dallas, that creates a familiar kind of waiting game, the sort where a promising secondary upgrade can shift from realistic to unlikely in a hurry, depending on how another team chooses to handle its own long-term plans. [Read more 🡒]