Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith went down in a heap during Wednesday’s open practice at the team’s indoor facility. It did not look good on a video posted on social media, with Smith immediately grabbing his left knee after minimal contact on a running play.
All signs afterward pointed to Smith escaping a major injury, but he will undergo an MRI to confirm that, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.
Smith walked off the field under his own power with athletic trainers, and the team’s media saw him walking out of the locker room without a discernable limp.
“He gave me a nice, reassuring grunt like he usually does,” left tackle Connor McGovern said, via Archer. That’s the one thing playing next to him for so long, I can decipher his grunts. I think he’s all right.”
Smith’s injury history makes Cowboys fans uneasy anytime he might have something wrong. The two-time All-Pro was a full participant in fewer than half of the team’s practices last season with knee and ankle injuries and a bout with COVID-19.
He has not played every game in a season since 2015 with various injuries and has missed 32 games the past six seasons, including six in 2021.
Smith had an ankle injury that slowed him in training camp in Oxnard.
Josh Ball replaced Smith at left tackle with the first-team unit, and the Cowboys’ depth behind Smith and right tackle Terence Steele is a concern.
UPDATE 10:30 P.M. ET: The initial review of Smith’s knee indicates his ACL is intact, per Archer, but Smith will undergo further medical testing Thursday.