Cowboys ‘Top 3 Disappointments’ Predicted: Tyron & Rookies Too 'Hyped'?

Dallas Cowboys staple Tyron Smith and two touted rookies landed on an undesirable list from Bleacher Report.

As the Dallas Cowboys press forward through what could be a fateful 2023 campaign, some are wary about their past, present, and future.

A list from Bleacher Report targeted three Cowboys as those "Who Won't Live up to Hype in 2023 Season." Headlining the cursed trio is starting lineup staple Tyron Smith, who's joined by rookies Luke Schoonmaker and Deuce Vaughn.

Smith has been stationed in Dallas starting lineups since 2011, justifying his arrival as the ninth pick of that spring's draft and then some to the tune of eight Pro Bowl nominations and inclusion on the NFL's official All-2010s team. Injuries, however, have brought about an early twilight to his Cowboys career, as he has played in only 17 games in the last three seasons. 

"Tyron Smith has been a pillar of the Cowboys offense for a long time but Father Time comes for everyone and he's undefeated," Alex Ballentine writes, partly blaming Smith's late-career shift to the right side of the line. "The decline in play could have been due to the fact that he was playing on the right side for the first time since his rookie season. Smith has made a career out of being a great left tackle so switching sides this late in his career is difficult."

Our response: We've never heard that view - that Tyron is suddenly a problem because he played on the right side. But we will say this: CowboysSI.com still predicts he'll end up back at left tackle this year. So ... problem solved?

B/R's list also doesn't have high hopes for a pair of celebrated freshmen: it's one that sees Schoonmaker faltering under immediate big workloads brought about by Dalton Schultz's exit and labels Vaughn as an undersized project despite earning the early approval of quarterback Dak Prescott. 

Before we dig into B/R's views, here are ours, on each guy ...

We have said all along that "Schoon'' does not project to beat out Jake Ferguson ... and we have therefore questioned whether it was wise of Dallas - which seemed so hell-bent on drafting a tight end - to use a second-round pick on him. So we're not guilty of the "hype'' that B/R is "hyping'' here.

Same goes with Deuce: Our Mike Fisher has written at CowboysSI.com that the view inside The Star is that Vaughn will not get cut. But that can mean he's third-string or that can mean he finds himself stashed with "a stubbed toe,'' as Fish half-jokingly says. Again, no "hype'' here. Now to B/R ...

"Jake Ferguson is a much better bet (than Schoonmaker) to be the primary tight end in 2023," Ballentine predicts. "It's (also) important to keep the context around Vaughn's rookie season in context ... Vaughn is still a sixth-round pick and has physical limitations. He's going to require creative touches. He's going to suit the same kind of plays that Tony Pollard is going to run and it's going to be difficult for him to carve out a role outside of returning kicks."

While Smith's summer slate has yet to be determined, Schoonmaker and Vaughn will get their first chance to publicly prove Bleacher Report wrong on Aug. 12, when Dallas opens its preseason slate against the Jacksonville Jaguars. And Tyron? We don't need to see him until September.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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