The Dallas Cowboys drafted offensive tackle Tyler Smith out of Tulsa with the 24th overall selection in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the intention of him one day becoming the starting left tackle of America’s Team and the eventual replacement to future Hall of Famer, Tyron Smith. Little did they know the 21-year old would be thrown in that starting role Week One as a rookie against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday.
That after Tyron Smith suffered a knee/hamstring injury (avulsion fracture) last month that will force him to be sidelined for most of the regular season. Suddenly, Tyler Smith will go from playing in the American Athletic Conference to starting in the NFL against a team that won the Super Bowl in 2021.
That’s quite a massive leap for the junior Smith, who also happened to commit a whopping 16 penalties last year at Tulsa. In fact Bleacher Report’s NFL Scout, Brandon Thorn, called Smith “raw as sushi and a penalty machine who needs to reconfigure his technique from the ground up before he can see an NFL field”.
Unfortunately, the injury suffered to Tyron will not allow Tyler the time he likely needs to better develop his lackluster technique. Instead, the rookie is getting a crash course in what it takes to play left tackle in the NFL from another future Hall of Famer at the position, the newly signed Jason Peters.
The 40-year old Peters signed with the team on Monday and joined the practice squad. The veteran also wasted no time hitting the practice field and getting into the rookie’s ear. In fact, Peters, a nine-time Pro Bowler, has already started teaching Tyler Smith some of the tricks of the trade he’s learn during his 17-year NFL career and counting.
Here’s what Tyler Smith told Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com when asked about what Peters taught him to aid his technique during practice on Monday.
“[Jason Peters] taught me a little bit about hand tricks, how he operates with his outside hand … He also talked about getting out of your stance quick and getting to your spot being one of the most important parts of blocking because from that point on it’s just a chess match between you and the defender. Even though it seems small, that stuff can take you a long way.”
Cowboys rookie offensive lineman Tyler Smith per DallasCowboys.com Senior Writer, Rob Phillips
Jason Peters is expected to need a couple weeks in preparation before returning to an NFL field after missing the entirety of the team’s offseason practices, training camp, and every preseason game this summer. There certainly doesn’t appear to be any immediate plans to have him ready to play against the Buccaneers this Sunday, which points to Tyler Smith making his debut as the Cowboys’ starting left tackle as a rookie. And depending how well Smith performs will likely determine just how quickly Peters is needed either as a plug-in starter or the team’s reserve swing tackle.
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