Cowboys' $97M star predicted to drop out of rotation despite Jerry Jones' promise
Jerry Jones holds more power over the Dallas Cowboys' roster structure than any other NFL owner does with their own team. He is the only NFL owner to also serve as his team's general manager and president. Jones admittedly prefers to be directly involved in just about every decision surrounding his Cowboys.
Dallas has been going through several changes during the 2023 NFL offseason, including to their offensive line's depth chart. Jerry Jones discussed the new structure during a recent press conference at the NFL owners' meetings this week.
One notable claim he made is that Tyron Smith and Tyler Smith will serve as the starting offensive tackles during the 2023 NFL season, while Terrence Steele will continue to back each of them up at both positions. This contradicts some reports that Steele will be promoted to the starting left guard after his impressive showing last year.
Jerry Jones said the Cowboys are not considering moving Terence Steele to left guard. He says Steeles is too valuable as a swing tackle tandem behind starters Tyler Smith and Tyron Smith tackle.
Bryan Broaddus, who covers the Cowboys, recently appeared on an episode of "Love of the Star" to discuss Jerry Jones' recent update on their offensive line.
“I think that they’ve got Tyron Smith’s contract to the point where he is your new version of Jason Peters. I think that to me, I just don’t see a good reason to not play Tyler Smith anywhere other than left tackle. I just don’t. And I mean nothing against Tyron Smith, Hall of Fame tackle. Him playing right tackle wasn’t as good as Steele playing right tackle last year.”
Broaddus disagrees with the idea that Tyron Smith will continue to be a starter during the 2023 NFL season, despite being one of the best offensive tackles during his career. He believes that Smith's best days are far behind him and that Steele has recently proven to be the better option currently.
Jerry Jones restructured Tyron Smith's massive contract with Cowboys
Tyron Smith signed a massive contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys prior to the start of the 2016 NFL season. The deal gave him $97.6 million over eight years, making him one of the highest-paid offensive linemen in the league. He's owed $14 million for the upcoming 2023 NFL season as the final year remaining on his contract.
Smith made financial sacrifices during the 2023 NFL offseason to help Jerry Jones create additional salary cap space. They restructured the pay format of what he's owed this year, converting most of his base salary into incentives. This allows Smoih the opportunity to still earn the entirity of what he's owed, while opening up nearly $9 million in cap flexibilty for the Cowboys this year.