Cowboys Place Tyler Smith on IR After Thumb Surgery, Add Line Depth Before Giants
The Dallas Cowboys will open the 2026 season without their best interior lineman.
Three-time Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith is on injured reserve after surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb and is expected to miss four to six weeks, coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday in Frisco.
Smith had the procedure Tuesday in Los Angeles. Dr. Steven Shin performed the operation. The club listed him on injured reserve with a designation to return, which means he must sit at least four games. He can play as early as Thursday, Oct. 8, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He tried to grind through it in camp. Grip is the job at guard. A lineman who cannot lock onto a defender or hold a block through the whistle cannot play the position the way Dallas needs it played.
“At the end of the day, he felt like he couldn’t do the things he had to do at a high level,” Schottenheimer said.
Why Dallas Chose Surgery Now
Owner Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan that Smith arrived at training camp in Oxnard already dealing with the ligament issue, and it later worsened. The team taped and braced the thumb. It did not hold up once padded work resumed in Frisco. Schottenheimer said the staff could not pinpoint one play that caused the damage. The decision, he said, was to fix it before a long season got away from them.
Smith signed a four-year, $96 million extension in September 2025, making him the highest-paid guard in the league at the time. He has started 63 regular-season games since Dallas drafted him 24th overall in 2022 and earned Pro Bowl honors in each of the last three seasons.
Bass Starts: Dallas Fills the Roster Hole
T.J. Bass will start at left guard Sunday night when the Cowboys visit the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). Dallas placed a second-round restricted free-agent tender on Bass this offseason. The undrafted Oregon product has played 48 games with 10 starts since 2023, including five starts in 2025.
Bass has already lined up next to center Cooper Beebe and left tackle Tyler Guyton. The calls will not be new. The standard will. Smith is the player who sets the physical tone on that side of the line. Bass has to hold the point against interior pressure and keep Dak Prescott’s launch point clean.
On Wednesday, Dallas signed Nick Leverett from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that Leverett can serve as the backup interior lineman on gameday while Smith is out.
Archer posted on X: “The Cowboys are signing OL Nick Leverett to the active roster from the practice squad, per source.” —
The Cowboys are signing OL Nick Leverett to the active roster from the practice squad, per source. With Tyler Smith (thumb) out 4-6 weeks, Leverett can serve as the backup interior lineman on gameday.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 9, 2026
NBC Sports confirmed the IR placement and Leverett promotion. Leverett worked at guard and center in the preseason and appeared in one game for Dallas last season.
To replace him on the practice squad, the Cowboys signed veteran guard Laken Tomlinson.
Archer posted on X: “With Nick Leverett added to the 53-man roster, the Cowboys have signed veteran OL Laken Tomlinson to the practice squad.”
With Nick Leverett added to the 53-man roster, the Cowboys have signed veteran OL Laken Tomlinson to the practice squad. He has started 162 games for his career, including seven last year with Houston.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 9, 2026
Tomlinson, a 2015 first-round pick, has started 162 career games and made the Pro Bowl in 2021 with San Francisco. He started seven games for Houston in 2025. He is insurance if another interior body goes down.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Smith status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sept. 13 | at Giants (MetLife, SNF) | Out (IR) |
| 2 | Sept. 20 | vs. Commanders | Out (IR) |
| 3 | Sept. 27 | vs. Ravens (Rio de Janeiro) | Out (IR) |
| 4 | Oct. 4 | at Texans | Out (IR) |
| 5 | Oct. 8 | vs. Buccaneers (TNF) | Earliest eligible return |
Schedule dates follow the club’s posted slate on DallasCowboys.com and the Week 1 window confirmed by CBS Sports. Week 3 is not a normal home date. Dallas plays Baltimore at Maracanã Stadium in Brazil, which adds travel and recovery strain on a line already missing its highest-paid guard.
What the First Month Actually Tests
This is not a soft stretch. The Giants open on a short week of preparation for a Sunday night road game. Washington follows. Then comes a South America trip against Baltimore, followed by a trip to Houston. If Smith needs the full six weeks, the first look back would be Green Bay on Oct. 18, not the Buccaneers’ Thursday night date.
The offense still has Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens. Those players only work if the interior can move people and pass off stunts. Smith’s value isn’t just power. It is the ability to finish blocks and keep the pocket from collapsing inside. Bass and Leverett have to cover that with less margin for error.
Designated-to-return IR gives Dallas a roster spot now and a path to get Smith back after four games. It does not speed up a thumb.
Until he returns, the line’s job is simple and hard: keep Prescott upright and give the run game a chance against four different fronts in four different buildings.
Discover more from Dallas Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
