'Devastating' to 'Awesome': Could Tyron Smith Return to Play in Cowboys vs. Texans?

"It's awesome. His injury, in general, was devastating for us.'' - Terence Steele on the Cowboys comeback of Tyron Smith.

FRISCO - There is buzz here inside The Star that Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith - one of the handful of best left tackles of this NFL era - could return to the practice field soon, and could make his season debut on Dec. 11 against the Houston Texans.

But one way or another, it seems, it's coming - and the locker room is fired up.

Said right tackle Terence Steele on Monday: "It's awesome. His injury, in general, was devastating for us. We've been watching him rehab his way back these past couple weeks. I can just tell the room is already excited to welcome him back."

There will be a juggling act, as the Cowboys view the present left tackle, rookie Tyler Smith, as a versatile valued prize from the 2022 NFL Draft.

So what is the plan when Tyron makes his planned regular-season return from his season-starting hamstring-torn-off-the-bone injury?

Same as it always was.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently revealed a sort of open secret about Tyron and Tyler, telling @1053thefan that the future Hall of Famer Tyron will be the Cowboys' left tackle when he is back on the field.

Part of that is the brilliance of Tyron.

Another part is the versatility of the rookie Tyler, who Jones said will "easily" make the transition from left tackle to left guard - the exact move that was planned for the younger Smith when he was drafted out of Tulsa.

The idea then: Tyler will begin as a guard, playing alongside Tyron and learning from the 31-year-old All-Pro ... and then eventually slide outside whenever Tyron - who has vowed to play "until the wheels fall off'' - opts for retirement.

Tyron's injury history is, unfortunately, part of his legacy. So "the wheels falling off'' is a concern, which is among the reasons Dallas drafted Tyler (the right thing to do, as it's turned out, even amid much draft-time criticism.)

When will this all happen? There is no firm timetable yet, but ... Tyron playing against the Houston Texans on Dec. 11 could be, we will suggest, scribbled in pencil.

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