Dallas Cowboys avoided much more than just a season-ending injury to Tyler Guyton following ACL scare
Talk about a major injury scare. On Monday, the Dallas Cowboys feared starting left tackle Tyler Guyton had suffered a season-ending torn ACL. However, when the MRI results came back, they learned it was a bone fracture and a knee sprain, which is expected to knock Guyton out for four to six weeks. While still […]
Talk about a major injury scare. On Monday, the Dallas Cowboys feared starting left tackle Tyler Guyton had suffered a season-ending torn ACL. However, when the MRI results came back, they learned it was a bone fracture and a knee sprain, which is expected to knock Guyton out for four to six weeks.
While still not ideal, when compared to the prospects of losing Guyton for the entire year, the injury felt like good news. No one likes to go through the NFL regular season with backup quarterback play. But the Cowboys have more reason to celebrate than meets the eye, as they avoided much more than just a season-ending injury for their young player.
They avoided potential financial trouble.
Guyton's injury update saves the Cowboys from potential negotiation trouble with Tyler Smith
On Tuesday, a post-practice sighting caught the eyes of fans and media members alike: Tyler Smith's agent, Joe Panos, was spotted talking to Cowboys VP Stephen Jones and Director of Salary Cap and Player Contracts Adam Prasifka.
Panos has done business with the Cowboys at training camp in the past, striking significant deals while the team gears up for the regular season. Earlier in the week, head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters the team was trying to get "a number of players done" in the heels of a $52 million contract extension for Jake Ferguson.
If the Cowboys are trying to extend Smith ahead of the season, a Guyton season-ending injury would've likely complicated matters. After all, sliding Smith to left tackle would've made sense, and it likely would've been strongly considered by Dallas. Panos would've had that in mind. More specifically, he would've thought about the big difference between tackle and guard compensations.
Rashawn Slater recently became the highest-paid tackle in the NFL, securing a deal worth $28.5 million in average value per year. That's 21% higher than Trey Smith's $23.5 million per year, which makes him the highest-paid guard in the league. Odds are the Cowboys and Panos wouldn't have seen eye to eye if Guyton was slated to miss a full year.
On one hand, the front office would argue Smith has mostly played guard for the team and that the long-term plan remains for him to play inside. But it would make close to zero sense to put ink to paper on a deal for a guard if you're being asked to play a full season at tackle.
Now, though, with Guyton expected to be back within the first two weeks of the regular season, Smith is guaranteed to stick at left guard. Panos and Stephen Jones can carry on negotiating a deal — business as usual. Let's see if Smith has a new deal before the season starts.