Dallas Cowboys: Tyron Smith Misses Practice With Neck Injury

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The Dallas Cowboys offensive line has taken a few hits already this season. Starting right tackle La’el Collins was placed on the injured reserve list which caused undrafted rookie Terence Steele to start Week 1 vs the Los Angeles Rams. Backup offensive tackle Cam Erving will miss some time after suffering an MCL sprain in the season-opener.

Now, their elder statesman on the offensive line, left tackle Tyron Smith, missed Thursday’s practice with a neck injury. Head coach Mike McCarthy, however, doesn’t seem to think it’s serious at the moment, but it’s something they’ll monitor, as he explained Friday morning on 105.3 The Fan.

“We’ll see how Tyron is,” McCarthy said, via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. “I’m not alarmed right now, but it’s something that we’re looking at. These are the experiences you need. It’s important for young players to play early in the season.”

After starting 79 of the first 80 games of his career, Smith has missed exactly three games in each of the previous four seasons. The Cowboys have been pretty average going 7-5 in those 12 games.

The Cowboys are looking to avoid an 0-2 hole and keep pace in the NFC East. They’ll be facing a high-powered Atlanta Falcons offense that produced over 500 yards and three 100-yard receivers in Week 1 vs the Seattle Seahawks, albeit in a loss. Potentially, the Cowboys will have to light up the scoreboard on Sunday, which makes having Smith to protect Dak Prescott is paramount.

Undrafted free agent offensive tackles Alex Light and Brandon Knight are other options the Dallas Cowboys have if Smith can’t go vs the Falcons, which of course they’re hoping isn’t the case. This situation will definitely be one to keep an eye on leading up to Sunday.

Stay tuned next week for more from the Dallas Cowboys.