Tyler Smith Thumb Surgery Sends Cowboys Pro Bowl Guard to IR, Shakes Up Week 1 Betting Outlook

The Dallas Cowboys will open the 2026 season without Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith after he underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb. Smith will land on injured reserve, ruling him out for at least the first four games of the year, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Smith tried to play through the injury during training camp, but after the Cowboys attempted to find a way to protect the joint through two padded practices back in Frisco, both sides agreed surgery was the better long-term option. Dr. Steven Shin, who performed the hand procedure that helped former Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer recover ahead of schedule last year, is handling the operation.

What the Timeline Means for Smith’s Return

The earliest Smith could realistically return is Oct. 8, when Dallas hosts Tampa Bay on a short week for Thursday Night Football in Week 5. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer indicated the more likely target is Oct. 18 against Green Bay in Week 6, giving Smith extra time to heal on a normal week’s rest rather than rushing back on four days off. Schottenheimer called Smith “a quick healer” but acknowledged grip strength is critical for an offensive lineman, which is why the team didn’t want to gamble on a lesser fix.

This is the second procedure of the offseason for Smith, who also had a clean-up operation on his right knee back in February. Since being drafted 24th overall out of Tulsa in 2022, Smith has been one of the most durable and productive linemen in the league, starting all 63 games he’s played, earning Pro Bowl honors in each of the last three seasons and signing a four-year, $98 million extension last September. He posted a 99% snap rate in three of his four NFL seasons, missing just four total games in his career before this injury.

T.J. Bass Steps Into the Starting Role

With Smith sidelined, Schottenheimer confirmed T.J. Bass will take over at left guard. Bass, an undrafted free agent out of Oregon who signed with Dallas in 2023, has started 10 games over his first three NFL seasons — including multiple stints filling in for an injured Smith in each of the last two years. Pro Football Focus rated Bass as the 30th-best guard in the league in 2025, and the Cowboys have gone 5-4-1 in games he’s started while averaging 27.8 points per game, a track record that should ease some concern about the drop-off up front. Still, replacing a three-time Pro Bowler for a month-plus is no small task, especially with Dallas already replacing longtime right guard Zack Martin, who retired this offseason.

Betting Angle: Win Total and Protection Props Take a Hit

Dallas opened as road favorites for Sunday night’s Week 1 opener against the Giants, with lines hovering around Cowboys -2.5 to -3 and a moneyline near -150 to -160 across most books, per early-week market data. Smith’s injury news landed alongside those lines, and while the number hasn’t moved dramatically yet, an offensive line already replacing Martin and now missing its best remaining blocker for a month is exactly the kind of situation bettors should watch closely as the week progresses, particularly on the game total and any Dak Prescott pressure or sack-related props once they’re posted.

The bigger-picture market context matters just as much. Dallas’ season win total sits at 9.5, with the over priced around even money and the under around -120 to -140 depending on the book, and the Cowboys carry roughly +2500 Super Bowl odds and +200 to +220 to win a wide-open NFC East behind Philadelphia. Sportsbooks and analysts have already flagged the offensive line as the swing factor for this roster — Dallas finished in the bottom third of the league in sacks allowed last season while dealing with injuries to both Smith and rookie Tyler Booker. Losing Smith again to open 2026, even with Bass’s proven track record as a fill-in, adds fresh uncertainty to those win-total and division futures until he’s back on the field.