Cowboys' Tyron Smith Leaving Dallas; Commanders to Sign?

The Dallas Cowboys are saying goodbye to Tyron Smith. Could he sign with the division rival Washington Commanders?

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Dallas Cowboys are expected to say goodbye to longtime offensive tackle Tyron Smith, who has been with the team since 2011.

Perhaps his next home will keep him in the NFC East with the tackle-needy Washington Commanders.

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The Commanders have the most cap space in the NFL and a big need at tackle after the team cut Charles Leno Jr. a few days ago.

Smith turns 34 years old in December, so in no way is this idea a long-term one. What he brings in age, he brings in experience, and it's a top-shelf variety at that.

In his 13 NFL seasons, Smith has played in 161 of a possible 210 games, missing the largest chunks of action in 2020 and 2022. Outside of those two years, he's appeared in no fewer than 11 games, and 13 or more in all but one.

He's also been named to eight Pro Bowls and made First-Team All-Pro twice.

As far as one-year rentals go, he's as good as it gets and affords the Commanders the luxury of bringing up a younger future replacement behind him for a season.

Commanders Free Agency: Bengals' Williams to Washington?

Another wrinkle to Smith's free agency comes with his connection to new coach Dan Quinn, who spent the last three seasons as the Cowboys defensive coordinator. While Smith didn't work directly with Quinn, having someone familiar to the Dallas way could help the new Washington coach make a smoother transition.