FRISCO – And suddenly, a major decision in the offensive line is no longer a “choice.”
We do not pretend to know all the ins and outs of the Dallas Cowboys’ personnel-related decision-making. We may agree with the powers that be on a potential hole in the roster … but we may not share the intricacies in why we might see the answer differently than personnel boss Will McClay and the Cowboys see it.
Money? Injuries? Personal issues? An NFL team is obviously more privy to those details than most of us are.
Which brings us to the Cowboys’ offensive line issues – which late Wednesday reached a critical stage due to a serious injury.
Left tackle Tyron Smith hasn’t played a full season since 2015, and he won’t do do again in 2022 after sustaining a hamstring tear at practice here at The Star.
We are told there is a concern there that Smith will be “out for months.” So now it’s not just about too-young swing tackles late-round rookie Matt Waletzko (he’s got a shoulder injury) or second-year guy Josh Ball, who has not impressed, with another shot at it in Saturday’s preseason game at the Chargers.
Now it’s about who starts at left tackle. And about a swing tackle, too.
In our view – while also acknowledging the idea of kicking prized rookie Tyler Smith to tackle (or even shifting Zack Martin), Dallas needs to add TWO new tackles.
Isn’t it obvious that Eric Fisher – once the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft, who played eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and was in the Pro Bowl as recently as 2020 – is an upgrade over Ball? And over Waletzko?
Fisher moved to the Indianapolis Colts for the 2021 season and was a full-time starter, good enough for the Colts to try to bring back before the two sides couldn’t agree on contract terms.
Entering last season, he was coming off a torn Achilles; notably, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently boasted about Dallas’ success with players in that circumstance.
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Is he too old? Fisher is 31, same age as Tyron and fellow future Hall of Fame right guard Zack Martin.
Is he injured? Again, even after the Achilles, he started in 15 games for the Colts.
Is he expensive? Ah, there is the rub, though that matters much less to Dallas than it did a day ago.
Fisher was a $12 million APY guy in his final years with the Chiefs. Last season he took a reduction with a one-year, $8.4 million deal with the Colts. Presently, Pro Football Focus’ projection has him being worthy of a three-year, $16 million contract.
The Cowboys were already going to look at help; the search just intensified, and there will be other names in this conversation, like Daryl Williams and Jason Peters and Nate Solder and others. … like retired Rams star Andrew Whitworth, who on Thursday said he fielded a Cowboys call.
And yes, Dallas – knowing Tyron might miss the entire season – should gobble up two of them.
One to replace Ball.
One to replace Tyron.
Tyron – the protector of Dak Prescott’s blind side – has gone down. Dallas now needs an Eric Fisher-level player to plug in at left tackle to make sure the season doesn’t go down with him.
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