Tony Pollard will stay in Dallas for the 2023 season after the Cowboys franchise tagged him earlier this week. Tyron Smith, the Cowboys’ eight-time Pro Bowl left sort out, will seemingly stay in Dallas, too.
The Cowboys’ brass is working in direction of an answer that might maintain Smith in Dallas for the 2023 season, in accordance with ESPN. That answer might embrace a contract restructure with Smith at the moment slated to make $13.6 million for the upcoming season.
Dallas at the moment has the fourth-fewest wage cap area of any NFL staff, in accordance with Spotrac. The Cowboys, who’re at the moment almost $19 million over the cap, have to get out of the purple earlier than March 15, the official begin of the brand new league yr.
Smith is not the one Cowboys veteran who will seemingly have to regulate his contract. Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones principally stated that former two-time dashing champion Ezekiel Elliott should regulate his contract if he needs to stay in Dallas. Elliott, who nonetheless has 4 years remaining on his present contract, is at the moment slated to have a $16.72 million cap hit for the upcoming season.
“He’s making some huge cash, and he is aware of that,” Jones stated of Elliot final month, by way of ESPN. “Zeke clearly did a tremendous job for us. He got here in immediately and was dominant and helped us win a number of soccer video games. I do not second-guess that one, however it’s arduous for these guys to play 10 years at an actual excessive stage.”
The Cowboys had been in a position to maintain Pollard by making use of a tag that may pay him $10.09 million for the 2023 season if he performs underneath the tag. Dallas is hoping that Pollard and Elliott will proceed to run behind Smith, who has been one of many NFL’s finest offensive linemen for properly over a decade.
The ninth general decide within the 2011 NFL Draft, Smith has began in every of his 156 profession video games in Dallas. A Pro Bowler annually from 2013-19, Smith earned his most up-to-date Pro Bowl nod in 2021 after serving to the Cowboys boast the NFL’s highest-scoring offense.
Smith completed the 2022 season on a optimistic notice after lacking the season’s first 13 video games after he tore his hamstring throughout coaching camp. He made the transfer from left to left sort out upon his return given the emergence of then-rookie Tyler Smith.
Despite Smith’s emergence, it is clear that the Cowboys wish to maintain the elder Smith within the fold. Jones stated final month that he anticipated Smith to return to Dallas for a thirteenth season.
“Obviously, Tyron is the final word staff participant,” Smith stated, by way of the staff’s official web site. “There’s actually not a number of dialog with Tyron. It looks as if he is very content material to do what it takes to assist the staff.”
