Ailing Tyron Smith Considering Season-Long Cowboys Shutdown

Ailing all-Pro LT Tyron Smith Considering Season-Long Dallas Cowboys Shutdown, Per Report

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys in-public pronouncements on the health of All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith are so rosy that on a Thursday morning that would eventually see Smith not practicing with the team here at The Star, coach Mike McCarthy said Smith is “further back than he was at this time last week. That would be the best way to describe it."

But it appears Smith’s aching neck, and maybe opinions outside of Cowboys management, disagree with the sugary diagnosis from the Dallas front office.

Smith is in fact “gathering medical opinions on his neck after a setback, and one option being considered is shutting down for the season,” per a Thursday afternoon report via NFL Network.

Yeah, that's pretty "further back'' alright.

The conflict in the two pieces of news - one coming from reliable reporters with NFL Network and the other coming from a new head coach who starting with “Camp Cover-Up” has been less than generous with the truth about even questions as innocuous as those about who might be the first-team punt returner - are concerning in a number of ways.

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Of primary concern at this point, obviously, is the well-being of Tyron Smith, with NFL Network reporting that his “status is up in the air.” A next-level issue is Dallas’ ability to duct-tape together an offensive line already missing the other tackle, La’el Collins, done for the season after undergoing hip surgery this week.

And then - despite the fact that the Dallas Cowboys boast some of the finest medical personnel and training experts in the world - comes one more level, a level at which a professional football team needs to demonstrate that not only does it know what it’s doing when it comes to the health of its players ... 

But also that it knows what it’s saying.