The Dallas Cowboys may be considering playing Tyron Smith at right tackle

When the Dallas Cowboys opened Tyron Smith’s 21-day practice window it represented a lot of hope. Obviously hope within the Cowboys getting back one of the best left tackles in the NFL, but additionally hope that we would finally get to see the offensive line that this team envisioned way back before the season began.

The makeup that Dallas trotted out during training camp was (from left to right) Tyron Smith, rookie Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Zack Martin, and Terence Steele. As the group has marched forward to this point without Tyron (with Tyler at left tackle and Connor McGovern at left guard) they have inspired a lot of confidence so the idea of things finally becoming what they were supposed to be was exciting.

All of that went out the window last week against the Houston Texans though when right tackle Terence Steele tore both his ACL and MCL. He is going to miss the rest of the season, and while Tyron is coming back, the Cowboys now have an issue on the right side.

Unless Tyron himself answers that.

The Dallas Cowboys may be considering playing Tyron Smith at right tackle

It had been assumed by most that Tyron’s return would be to his normal post at left tackle with Tyler Smith kicking inside which was how the team envisioned their offensive line back in the days of August. In the immediate aftermath of Steele’s injury there were some Cowboys fans who threw out the idea of Tyron returning and going to the other side to replace him as one option so as to rock the boat as little as possible, but that seemed farfetched given that Tyron has not played on the right side in a very long time.

Where this idea makes the most sense though is in the current non-Tyron options at right tackle. Dallas has second-year tackle Josh Ball (who they relied heavily on throughout training camp as far as the swing tackle position was concerned) and veteran Jason Peters to choose from. The issue is that Peters is wonderful but unlikely to hold up at a position he has not played in forever himself and that Josh Ball is Josh Ball.

While the idea of Tyron at right tackle hardly makes anybody feel good, there is an argument to be made that it is the least bad thing. In this hypothetical Tyler Smith could stay at left tackle and more important than anything else is that Connor McGovern would be the fifth offensive lineman in the group and most trust his abilities at left guard than Ball or Peters (for different reasons) at right tackle.

According to 105.3 The Fan’s Bryan Broaddus, it seems that the Cowboys may agree and may consider playing Tyron along the right side.

The wording here could of course mean anything. “Some work” might mean that Dallas is open to trying it and experimenting before making a decision that they have to live and die with. Every game matters and nobody is trying to underscore the legitimacy of this week’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the Cowboys have an over 99% likelihood of being a playoff team at this point (a win in Jacksonville clinches a berth for them outright). Nobody is saying that these next four weeks are the preseason, but if you are going to do some sort of experimenting now is the time with the playoffs starting in a month.

Truth be told the Cowboys should be considering all options at this point and not painting themselves into a corner with one line of thinking. It certainly seems unconventional to play Tyron on the right side given everything that has happened over the last decade, but the NFL is a world of adjusting to the moment and this one requires the Cowboys to potentially get a bit creative.