Cowboys could get Pro Bowl player back at crucial time

Jul 26, 2022; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at training camp press conference at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys lost one of their best players before the season began, and they could be getting him back just in time to gear up for a playoff run.

Veteran offensive lineman Tyron Smith was spotted at Cowboys practice on Wednesday for the first time since he suffered a knee injury in practice back in August.

Cowboys LT Tyron Smith is back on field. Not only his first practice since Aug. 24 hamstring tendon injury but first with LT Jason Peters as teammate. They chatted at length. Seventeen combined Pro Bowls between the two likely future Pro Football Hall of Famers. pic.twitter.com/GBzEgRTxXb

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 7, 2022

Smith needed surgery due to an avulsion fracture of the knee, which is when the hamstring tendon at the back of the knee tears off the bone. Reports at the time indicated that he would not be back before December and could miss the remainder of the season. Smith’s presence at practice on Wednesday almost certainly means he will return at some point in the coming weeks.

The Cowboys signed Jason Peters to help replace Smith, and the nine-time Pro Bowl tackle has appeared in six games this season.

Smith has battled injuries in recent years, but he made the Pro Bowl last season for the eighth time despite only playing in 11 games. The only year he has missed the Pro Bowl since 2013 was in 2020, when he was limited to just two games.

If Dallas has both Smith and Peters down the stretch, that will only add to their offensive line depth.