Cowboys LG Tyler Smith to undergo thumb surgery, miss 4-6 weeks

The Cowboys' start to the 2026 season has hit a snag up front. Guard Tyler Smith is scheduled to undergo thumb surgery and will miss four to six weeks, coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters Monday. The three-time Pro Bowl guard and cornerstone of Dallas' interior offensive line was not seen at Monday's practice, leading to questions regarding his status. With the entire regular season ahead and the thumb injury limiting Smith, the guard felt now was the best time to have the issue fixed, per Schottenheimer. "Just at the end of the day, he felt like he couldn't do the things he had to do at a high level," the coach said Monday. "We know this is a long season. It's unfortunate but that's why we coveted T.J. Bass and having T.J. Bass back. I think he's played a lot of really good football for us, and we expect that he'll continue to do so." A first-round pick out of Tulsa in 2022, Smith manned the left tackle spot as a rookie before establishing himself as a premier guard in the ensuing three campaigns, earning Pro Bowl honors in each of the last three years (plus a second-team All-Pro nod in 2023). He's been dependable, too, playing 16 or more games in three of his four seasons with the Cowboys and serving as a reliable blocker amid change along the interior. With Smith acting as a central figure in the trenches, Dallas has managed to reconstruct its offensive line and maintain excellence across the unit over the last few years. Smith will be missed over the next month or so as Bass, a four-year pro, steps in to replace him, but as Schottenheimer noted, the Cowboys would rather sacrifice a month in order to have Smith at his best upon returning. "At the end of the day, you always see if you can kinda play through these things," Schottenheimer said. "He's done things like that, like a lot of guys have, they've been able to play through them. Unfortunately, when you're an offensive lineman, grip strength and things like that are really important. Again, we know he's a quick healer, and we want to get it fixed. He'll be back before too long."