Tyron Smith unlikely to return to Cowboys as longtime LT enters free agency
After 13 seasons protecting Cowboys quarterbacks, it appears Tyron Smith will be moving on from Dallas.
Smith will enter free agency and is unlikely to return to the Cowboys, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday, per a source. The longtime Cowboys left tackle will officially become a free agent when the new league year begins on March 13.
The longest-tenured player on the team going into the 2023 season, Smith has spent his entire career wearing a Cowboys jersey since being selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
In his 13 seasons in Dallas, Smith has been one of the best tackles on the game, accumulating eight Pro Bowl selections — including seven straight from 2013-2019 — and twice being named First-team All-Pro. For his efforts, he was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-2010s team.
Injuries have gotten in the way in recent years, including him being out for almost the entire 2020 and 2022 seasons. But last year Smith started 13 games, allowing just one sack on 847 offensive snaps for an 83.8 player grade, per PFF, earning a second-team All-Pro nod.
Now, for the first time in over a dozen years, the Cowboys will be in the market for a new blindside protector to keep Dak Prescott upright, whether through the draft, free agency, or existing players on the roster.
And at 33, Smith will also be on the hunt for a new team for the first time in his career.
