The Cowboys are in a tough spot on their offensive line. The elder statesman, Tyron Smith, suffered a torn hamstring in practice on Wednesday. Smith will have surgery on Friday to re-attach his hamstring tendon to his knee which will put him out indefinitely.

This latest setback is a continuation of the one bugaboo for Smith, staying healthy. From 2016 to 2019, Smith missed three games each season for the Cowboys. Over the previous two, Smith has missed 20 games, bringing his total to 32 over his last six seasons.

#Cowboys LT Tyron Smith is expected to be sidelined through at least November, at which point he will have played just 13 of 44 games since the start of the 2020 season, via @NFLResearch. pic.twitter.com/zqTFCPPXJ9

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 25, 2022

Dallas is looking to make to playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2007. The timetable for Smith's return is right around the time teams look to lock up their position in the postseason, and Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones feels the former first-round pick will be ready to go by then.

“We’ll have him, and we’ll have him at the right time,” Jones said Thursday on ESPN’s First Take. “We’ll have him in that San Francisco [playoff] game, or the equivalent of it that we had last year. Maybe we won’t fall short.”

It's been a tale of two careers, so to speak, for Smith during his time with the Cowboys. Over his first five seasons, the one game in 2012 was the only one he didn't play in as he was not only reliable but he racked up three consecutive All-Pro nods (2013-2015). He's still been dominant when he's played the last six years as another All-Pro selection and five Pro Bowl honors have been added to his resume.

While that's all well and dandy, a player's best ability is his availability, and too many times Smith hasn't been able to go for the Cowboys over the last half-decade plus. Smart money would say Smith still feels he has plenty left in the tank, especially with his play still on an elite level when he's on the field. However, players don't tend to get healthier as they get older, and with nearly 150 NFL games on his body, and his injuries being so regular, it calls into question how wise it would be for him to keep playing.

The Cowboys also have to think about Smith's future with the team. Rookie Tyler Smith, who is competing for the starting left guard spot, started over 20 games at left tackle at Tulsa. The organization has talked about Smith playing tackle in the future and sliding him out to tackle at the moment and letting Connor McGovern play left guard may be the way to go if no player on the market fits what the Cowboys are looking for.

Feature image via Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports