Cowboys: Mike McCarthy speaks on Tyron Smith's future
While most of the focus on the Dallas Cowboys today revolves around the decision to "run it back" with Mike McCarthy, Dak Prescott, and Dan Quinn, there is much more to get to unpack what the future looks like for this team. One of those things is the blurry and complicated future of All-Pro left […]
While most of the focus on the Dallas Cowboys today revolves around the decision to "run it back" with Mike McCarthy, Dak Prescott, and Dan Quinn, there is much more to get to unpack what the future looks like for this team.
One of those things is the blurry and complicated future of All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith.
Smith, 33 years old, is set to become a free agent in March and what his 2024 looks like is as much up to him as it is up to the Cowboys front office. Tyron could decide to hang it up after an injury-plagued career or he could get excited about the "one last rodeo" the team is apparently taking as head coach Mike McCarthy will lead the team on a contract year.
Although the Cowboys have been making plans to move on from the future Hall of Famer since they picked Tyler Smith in the 2022 NFL Draft, it's hard to quit on one of the best pass pro tackles in the entire league.
Smith earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2023 after allowing 21 pressures and three sacks in 610 pass blocking snaps. It was almost as if Smith traveled back in time to his most healthy days in the NFL but got to carry all the experience and knowledge with him in the process.
"I think the biggest thing for Tyron is, you know, we talked about the path of his season and the training plan that was in place for him," McCarthy told reporters when asked about his conversations with Smith. "This is clearly his best season that I've experienced with him since 2020. So, he felt really good about that."
Now granted, Smith did deal with injuries throughout the year and missed four games in total. He was missed in each of those. The Cowboys mitigated the risk of his volatile health with a reworked contract that was loaded with playing-time incentives.
As much as it is a concern, McCarthy did point out a key aspect of Smith's health that feels like good news for a potential return from Smith for another year: He won't have any surgeries at the end of the season.
"Just the fact that he's not going into the offseason with any big postseason surgeries is a real plus," McCarthy said. "But we'll continue to talk moving forward."
That note is no small thing and it's very telling about Smith's future. Not only did he have one of his best seasons in his career (in his 13th year in the NFL, no less) but he's about to have one of his best offseasons in a long time.
McCarthy's unique approach to player rest and fatigue tracking could play a major role in Smith's decision ahead of the 2024 season. The ball is in No. 77's court as of right now.
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The rising star chimes in.
