Tale of two Dallas Cowboys tac...

Tale of two Dallas Cowboys tackles: One struggling, one injury prone. What’s their future?

Through the first eight games of the season, it’s been a tale of two tackles for the Dallas CowboysTo no one’s surprise, left tackle Tyron Smith has already missed three games because of injury, continuing a streak of eight straight seasons when he has missed at least three games.

It has caused much hand wringing by fans and pundits who have wondered aloud why the Cowboys don’t simply move on from Smith.

Why?

Because when Smith is on the field, he remains one of best blindside blockers in the NFL.

Turn on the tape from last Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles and watch Smith put on clinic on how to put a force field around quarterback Dak Prescott and keep pass rushers at bay.

“That’s [the] Tyron Smith I remember,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “I mean that’s the best game I’ve seen Tyron play since I’ve been here in my time here in Dallas.”

McCarthy took over as coach in 2020 and Smith missed 32 games from 2020-2022 combined.

Sunday’s performance is evidence of why the Cowboys have been patient with him.

“Absolutely and I think just when you look at our plan moving forward, just to make sure he’s ready,” McCarthy said. “Get what he needs to get.”

The opposite was true for right tackle Terence Steele whose disappointing play proved to be key factor in the 28-23 loss to the Eagles.

Steele allowed 12 pressures, seven hurries and four sacks, including one on the final drive that crippled the Cowboys hopes of comeback.

Not surprisingly, Steele has played in every game this season despite coming off an ACL injury that caused him to miss the last four games in 2022.

The Cowboys felt so good about Steele’s return and recovery that they signed him to a five-year, $86.8 million contract extension before the season.

Steele had played in 45 straight games from his rookie season in 2020 until last December and was labeled as a cornerstone for the future.

His work ethic in returning from injury and being ready to go in training camp emboldened the Cowboys that he was worth the investment.

His play has been bankrupted even before the meltdown against the Eagles.

According to Pro Football Focus, Steele had a pass block grade of 15 against the Eagles. His overall grade of 45.4 ranks among the bottom for tackles in the NFL.

The Cowboys have no choice but to stay course with Steele, give him some help and hope he continues to improve from the ACL injury.

“I think like anything, anytime a player has a major joint injury, that first year back, it’s a challenge,” McCarthy said. “There’s no doubt. I don’t want to give you the specifics but there’s things that he has to continue to work on because of the injury, the surgery and things like that. He’s working through it. He won’t make any excuses but that’s part of coming back that first year. Because there’s a first for everything.

“But, yes, it wasn’t his best game. We’ve looked at it. He’s looked at it and he’ll definitely learn from it. He’s definitely still fighting back a little bit from the injury.”

It’s ironic that Steele is now the question mark when Smith and his availability were the dark cloud hanging over the Cowboys heading into the season.

It was not a matter of if he would miss games but when and how many?

The Cowboys tried to cover themselves in the offseason by forcing Smith to take a pay cut. He could recoup some of the money with per game roster bonuses.

But no one was hiding from the issue and Cowboys were prepared to play it game by game.

Why?

Because the eight time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer is still the best in the business when he’s on the field.

PFF grades him as the eighth best tackle overall and third in pass protection.

He has allowed no sacks and has committed just one penalty.

McCarthy is coming up with plans to keep Smith healthy and on the field.

Both injuries he suffered in 2023 have come in practice. A hamstring injury caused him to miss two games and a neck strain caused him to miss one.

After not practicing leading up to the Eagles game, only participating in the walk through mock games, it may be a process the Cowboys continue with him the rest of the season.

“That’s definitely an option,” McCarthy said.