Even with fights in training camp, going head-to-head with the Saints, and three preseason games, the Dallas Cowboys had almost made it through unscathed. Almost. 

With less than a week before the season kicked off, three-time Pro Bowler Tyler Smith was put on the injured reserve list. He had reported to head coach Brian Schottenheimer about his difficulty with his thumb, but he brushed it off for a while before this Monday, when Schottenheimer told the media that he would get surgery on his thumb, missing four to six weeks, stating that they couldn’t “pinpoint when it happened.”

And with the Giants, Commanders, Ravens and Texans in the next four games, the Cowboys O-line is looking thin. 

Even though Jerry Jones has brought in a backup, there’s a bigger problem waiting to hit the Cowboys. But first, let’s look at who’s joining the active squad. 

“Laken Tomlinson, who was a first-round pick in 2015, has been added to the Cowboys’ practice squad,” Jon Machota of The Athletic wrote on X on September 9. “The interior offensive lineman has started 162 of the 173 games he’s played in for the Lions, 49ers, Jets, Seahawks, and Texans. Nick Leverett is going to the 53-man roster. Tyler Smith is going to injured reserve, designated to return.”

Now Leverett doesn’t look like a bad option. Unlike most players on the practice squad, Leverett has actual experience. During his time at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he took NFL snaps at both guard spots and center. He took plenty of snaps at both those positions during the preseason. 

If the Cowboys need a left guard, Leverett could be the man for the job. That’s his natural position, and it’s the same spot he has a career 3.1% allowed pressure rate. However, the moment you move him to center, things look shaky, especially when opponents throw interior pass rushers at him. 

Considering these numbers, Leverett looks like a decent candidate, especially if T.J. Bass is the one who starts at left guard. So what’s the problem? 

Well, the Dallas O-line may have a few names at the moment, but a single injury could derail that. There are still questions around the right tackle and the swing tackle. The O-line is stable for now, but after Week 1 against the Giants, things could look different. 

Perhaps that’s why the team brought in journeyman Tomlinson. While he hasn’t had top performances in the last few seasons, he still have plenty of NFL experience. And if that wasn’t enough, Jerry Jones also had a suggestion. 

Before him, Jones pointed out an eccentric possibility of interchanging offensive line positions, while naming tackle Broderick Jones as one of those potential stars to do the job, saying that “guards can move to tackle and tackles can move internally.”

All the Dallas Cowboys need to make do with the next 4 weeks. As Cody Warren of Inside the Star noted, “Dak Prescott has already shown us he can speed things up when he has to. In 2023, his time to throw was 2.71 seconds, which tells us he is capable of playing faster if the team wants to lean into that kind of offense while Tyler Smith is out. Let CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Ryan Flournoy do something after the catch instead of having Dak Prescott sit back waiting on a deep route.”