The Dallas Cowboys are seemingly in panic mode with Tyron Smith set to miss the majority of the 2022 NFL season. Smith, who has a well-documented injury history, suffered a brutal knee injury during the final stages of Wednesday's open practice.

Now, the Cowboys will be without their anchor for the foreseeable future. That puts a wrench in expectations for Dallas with the regular season quickly approaching.

While losing Smith in itself is a big deal, it is the latest evidence of how the Cowboys have shot themselves in the foot. The team made a pair of bold moves that look even more questionable as we inch closer to the season.

Dallas moved on from starting offensive tackle La'el Collins and starting wide receiver Amari Cooper for practically nothing this offseason. The team outright cut Collins and traded Cooper for a day-three draft selection.

The Cowboys are without any established wideout outside of CeeDee Lamb. That puts more pressure on Dak Prescott, as Dallas reverts back to its wide receiver-by-committee approach. Obviously, that experiment did not work in 2018.

Dallas will need to count on the likes of rookie Jalen Tolbert, veteran Noah Brown, and former USFL MVP KaVontae Turpin at wideout until Michael Gallup and James Washington return to action.

Furthermore, the injury to Tyron Smith puts even more question marks on the offensive line. Dallas looks to be relying on either 2021 fourth-rounder Josh Ball or rookie Tyler Smith. Trusting Ball to hold down the blindside is a tall task, and Smith has largely been working at guard.

Either way, the Cowboys are in a tough spot. And it's largely because of their own doing. The team did not have to part ways with either player, but here we are. Now, the Cowboys are forced to overcome it.

How Cowboys have been hypocritical

Additionally, a big reason why the Cowboys moved on from Cooper and Collins is because of availability. The two players have, admittedly, struggled to stay on the field for one reason or another.

Cooper has been given an injury-prone label. Collins missed the 2020 season and then missed five games last season due to suspension. Therefore, the line of thinking does make sense, even if it can be argued if it was the right decision.

All that said, the same logic was not applied to Tyron Smith. Smith has more than struggled to stay healthy. It has become an expectation for him to miss a stretch of games as he has gotten older.

Tyron Smith has had a great career. It's been clear the end is rolling out in the present.

The Cowboys made a mistake not trusting their own philosophy on players who are unavailable and now they pay for sloppy contract management once again.

— Gavin Dawson ? (@gavindawson) August 25, 2022

This is not to say that the Dallas Cowboys should have moved on from Tyron Smith this offseason. His talent is evident, and he remains one of the premier tackles in football when healthy.

That last part of the previous sentence is the problem, though. It does not appear that the Cowboys did enough to prepare for Smith to go down. Ball has received mix reports at swing tackle and rookie Smith has mostly worked at a different position.

Dallas made a pair of bold decisions this offseason. The Cowboys are now forced to overcome those moves after the latest injury news.

Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports