Tyron Smith - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: 49ers, Eagles, Injuries

December 22nd, 2017 at 6:43pm CST by GregGoldstein

The 49ers have won every game that Jimmy Garoppolo has started this season. However, general manager John Lynch knows that the team’s priority this offseason must be to surround his new signal caller with better talent, reports Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

Smith relays quotes that the first-year decision maker made on FS1 today that expresses his decision to move forward with the plan of building around Garoppolo.

“It frees you up in the draft to go looking for other needs and build your team around him,” said Lynch.

At the moment, San Francisco seems to have found two solid play makers in Marquise Goodwin and rookie Trent Taylor. But with running back Carlos Hyde‘s future with the team uncertain being that he will become an unrestricted free agent, the team needs more guys that can help elevate Garoppolo’s game.

It’s certainly a team with a number of holes, but there’s undoubtedly newfound hope that the organization has found their next franchise quarterback given this late season run.

Here’s more notes from around the NFC:

While the Eagles have a number of assistant coaches that could be in-line for head coaching gigs after the conclusion of this season, the team’s Vice President of Player Personnel Joe Douglas has gone a bit under-the-radar in terms of garnering interest from general manager needy teams, opines Jeff McLane of The Inquirer. Douglas surprisingly wasn’t mentioned in the league’s annual list of prospective GM candidates. But despite not being named, owner Jeffrey Lurie has spoken highly of the number two football man in his front office. “The hiring of Joe Douglas, I thought, was the pivotal moment of the last year,” said Lurie. With Douglas’ guidance, the Eagles have made a number of quality football decisions that has led them to being on the verge of clinching home field advantage in the NFC. McLane does mention that while Douglas is highly-regarded in league circles, he’s still viewed as strictly a “football guy”, which isn’t the type of person that is now needed to lead an entire front office, according to McLane. Nevertheless, if the Eagles continue to dominant with Douglas partially at the helm, he definitely should start to become more sought after for a lead job in the years to come.
Despite the Cowboys getting Zeke back for the first time since Week 8, the team is still dealing with a number of injuries entering their season-defining Week 16 game against Seattle. Star left tackle Tyron Smith is currently dealing with back and knee injuries, but he will “give it a try” this Sunday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Defensive tackle David Irving has been officially ruled out for a third straight game because of a concussion as well, reports David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Although, there is some good news on the injury front for the Cowboys as stud pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence practiced fully on Friday and is ready to go, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
The Seahawks are also dealing with a few critical injuries of their own prior to the Week 16 contest, even though the injury news seems to be a bit better on Seattle’s side. Head coach Pete Carroll said after practice that linebacker Bobby Wagner and strong safety Bradley McDougald are on track to play on Sunday, but the team would “wait-and-see” if cornerback DeShawn Shead would be activated from the PUP for this weekend’s matchup, reports Brady Henderson of ESPN.com.

Cowboys OT Tyron Smith Unlikely To Play

November 16th, 2017 at 7:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith is expected to miss his second consecutive game with a groin injury, according to Jane Slater of NFL.com (Twitter link), who reports Smith will not play Sunday night against the Eagles. Instead, Dallas will turn to veteran Byron Bell to man the blindside.

Chaz Green handled left tackle for the Cowboys in Week 10, and was memorably beaten like a drum by Atlanta defensive end Adrian Clayborn who posted a ridiculous six sacks, six more hurries, and a hit on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott. Clayborn, who had topped six sacks in a season just once prior to 2017, earned a spectacular 99.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for his performance.

While Green is certainly due his fair share of blame for last week’s debacle, the Cowboys coaching staff didn’t help him out by putting a tight end on the left side of the line, or sending a back to chip Clayborn. Additionally, nearly every lineman in the NFL would represent a downgrade from Smith, who is arguably the league’s best tackle.

Bell, 28, offers quite a bit more experience than Green (84 career appearances), but it’s not clear how ready is to take on Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, and the rest of Philadelphia’s defensive line. Bell hasn’t been a regular starter since the 2015 season (and was mediocre at best as a full-time player), and has played only 18 offensive snaps this year.

Sunday’s tilt between the Cowboys and Eagles is the most important game on the Week 11 schedule, at least according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. While Philadelphia is virtually assured of a postseason berth, Dallas is facing a 25% playoff leverage — a metric which indicates the change in chance of making the playoffs based on the results of the selected game — on Sunday night.

NFC Rumors: Manning, Smith, Capers, 49ers

November 11th, 2017 at 9:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

This week has been among the more grim Giants stretches in many years. Anonymous players came forward to criticize Ben McAdoo, and the statuses of the head coach and GM Jerry Reese aren’t exactly entrenched going into 2018. And the Giants are ready to look at the 2018 quarterback crop for a possible high first-round selection. Eli Manning, though, still looms as the team’s franchise passer with two full seasons remaining on his contract. While it doesn’t make much sense for a 36-year-old quarterback to be around for the kind of rebuild the Giants may want to embark upon, Manning would prefer to finish his career with one team, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes.

While Graziano mentions the Jaguars and Broncos as teams that would make sense as possible Manning suitors via trade, he writes the possibility of landing back on a contender — with these teams missing a quarterback to complement top-flight defenses — wouldn’t necessarily override Manning’s desire to play his entire career with New York. Manning having a no-trade clause makes his desires rather significant as the Giants begin plans for their future.

Here’s the latest from the NFC going into Week 10 Sunday.

While Ezekiel Elliott will be the most notable absence in Sunday’s Cowboys-Falcons game, Dallas will be without its cornerstone left tackle as well. Tyron Smith will miss Week 10 with back and groin injuries. The All-Pro blocker will not make the trip to Atlanta, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports (on Twitter). Chaz Green will start in Smith’s place. The seventh-year veteran had made all eight starts for the Cowboys this season.
49ers defensive end Tank Carradine returned to practice this week, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports. The team planned to bring the injured defender back from IR, and it looks like that’s still the plan. Carradine can return as soon as Week 12 — a November 26 game against the Seahawks. Both Carradine and Arik Armstead are on IR, and it looks like the latter’s third NFL season will be over. “It’s a tough decision, but we feel Tank has got a good chance to at least be back for these last six games where we know Arik would have been only the last two,” Kyle Shanahan said. “We had to make a decision (Wednesday), so we’re going to go with Tank right now.” Fellow defensive lineman Ronald Blair took San Francisco’s first IR-return spot last week.
If this Packers slide results in the team’s eight-season playoff streak ending, there could be changes in Green Bay. Pete Dougherty of PackersNews.com notes Dom Capers‘ job looks to be in the most danger. The Packers have invested 10 first- or second-round picks in their defense since 2012 and are trotting out a sub-average unit. Green Bay ranks 21st in defensive DVOA and 19th in points allowed. Dougherty writes the advancing ages of Aaron Rodgers (34 in December), Mike McCarthy (54, but in season No. 12) and Ted Thompson (64, in season 13) could force the organization to make a high-profile change in hopes of capitalizing on this era’s Rodgers-opened window. The 67-year-old Capers is in his ninth season leading Green Bay’s defense and been leading defenses for more than 25 seasons.
The Seahawks‘ post-Richard Sherman plan will likely feature the nearly traded Jeremy Lane moving into the starting lineup alongside rookie Shaquill Griffin, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes. Condotta predicted the Seahawks would bring in former starter Byron Maxwell for a visit, which they plan to, but no agreement is yet imminent. DeShawn Shead remains on the PUP list after suffering a serious knee injury in the divisional round last season, but thanks to an NFL rule change, the Seahawks don’t have to make an activation decision by Week 11. They can wait longer if they want to activate Shead, but he would likely require multiple weeks of practice to return to a game-ready status. Time’s running out on those prospects, if Seattle wants to use Shead during the regular season.

Cowboys Free Up Cap Space

February 20th, 2017 at 3:24pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cowboys entered Monday with the worst cap situation in the NFL for 2017, but that’s no longer the case. The club has restructured the contracts of two of its top players, All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith and All-Pro center Travis Frederick, reports Todd Archer of ESPN.com. The changes will save Dallas $17.3MM and take the team under the projected $168MM cap for next season.

In order to make the contracts of Smith and Frederick less onerous, the Cowboys converted approximately $21MM of the $24MM they’re due in 2017 into signing bonuses, according to Archer. Smith had been set to rake in a $10MM base salary, while Frederick was slated to earn over $14MM.

This is now the second straight year in which the Cowboys have reworked Smith’s contract. Smith, who signed an eight-year, $98MM extension in 2014, ranks first among left tackles in total value and third in both yearly average and guarantees ($22MM-plus). The 26-year-old has started in all 92 appearances since the Cowboys selected him ninth overall in the 2011 draft, and he’s coming off a season in which he ranked 16th among Pro Football Focus’ 78 qualified tackles.

As was the case with Smith, Frederick was hugely instrumental in the success the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott– and Ezekiel Elliott-led offense experienced in 2016. Frederick inked a six-year, $54.6MM extension with $18.2MM fully guaranteed last August, and currently leads all centers in total value and yearly mean. He’s second only to the Falcons’ Alex Mack in guarantees. The 31st pick in 2013, Frederick hasn’t missed a game or a start in four years with the Cowboys. The 25-year-old was PFF’s second-best center in 2016.

NFC Notes: Saints, 49ers, Smith, Jackson

December 28th, 2016 at 9:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Drew Brees does not expect to be playing for a different Saints coach in 2017 despite Sean Payton‘s name again being a constant in the coaching rumors section of the NFL news cycle. The quarterback who signed a one-year extension just before this season “absolutely” expects Payton to stay in New Orleans for what would be his 12th year with the franchise.

“I’ve heard some of the same stuff that I heard last year, and I felt like I had a pretty good feeling last year,” Brees said, via Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. “And I don’t see why it would be any different this year.”

Payton has been connected with the Rams after a report emerged indicating the 52-year-old having “sincere interest” in acquiring the veteran coach in a trade. A report pegged the Saints as being open to exploring a Payton trade, with another denying the team was thinking of shopping him. The Saints have made the playoffs just once in the past five seasons, although the 2012 absence came without Payton due to the Bountygate suspension.

Here’s more from the NFC as teams make Week 17 preparations.

Saints outside linebacker Michael Mauti underwent surgery for a large intestine issue, leading to the Saints placing the fourth-year player on their NFI list in November. But the Penn State product revealed he hopes to play in 2017, Katzenstein reports.
The Saints tried out linebackers Frank Beltre and Deon Lacey, a source tells Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). Earlier today, they signed linebacker Brian Blechen to their practice squad.
Carlos Hyde described the MCL sprain he sustained as being worse than the one that sidelined him at Ohio State in 2012, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News reports. The 49ers‘ backfield starter will enter a contract year in 2017. He’s expected to return, injury problems notwithstanding, but Inman projects Trent Baalke and DC Jim O’Neil to be fired at season’s end. However, the reporter expects Chip Kelly and OC Curtis Modkins to stay, citing some sense of continuity is needed to avoid having four head coaches in four years. Inman also anticipates none of the 49ers’ three quarterbacks to be back but points to both Torrey Smith and Jeremy Kerley staying in what should be a turbulent offseason.
Tyron Smith expects to be ready to go by the time the Cowboys are due to play their divisional playoff game, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The cornerstone left tackle said he did not have knee problems before spraining an MCL on Monday night.
After drafting wideouts the past two years, the Redskins figure to let DeSean Jackson walk, Elliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com reports. This would open the door for the deep threat to reunite with former teammates on the receiver-starved Eagles. This would make sense from a need standpoint, and there have been multiple connections between D-Jax and his former team, but Philly is projected to be $800K-plus over the cap in 2017 after signing numerous players to extensions this offseason. The Eagles would need to shed salary to make room for Jackson. For his part, the 30-year-old wideout said he’s “intrigued” about being a free agent.

Tyron Smith, King Dunlap Restructure Contracts

March 14th, 2016 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of veteran offensive tackles have restructured their contracts, creating some cap room for their respective clubs. Todd Archer of ESPN.com has the details on Tyron Smith‘s reworked deal with the Cowboys, while Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports on King Dunlap‘s new-look contract with the Chargers.

As Archer explains, Smith’s contract change is a simple restructure, with the Cowboys converting $9MM of his $10MM base salary for 2016 into a signing bonus. Rather than counting solely against this year’s cap, that $9MM bonus will now be prorated over five seasons, counting for $1.8MM annually from 2016 to 2020. That means Dallas will free up $7.2MM in cap space for the ’16 season, while adding $1.8MM to the cap each year from 2017 to 2020.

Dunlap, meanwhile, was set to have his $4.5MM salary for 2016 fully guaranteed last week. Before that happened, according to Gehlken, the Chargers lowered his salary to $3.3MM, which is now guaranteed. The veteran tackle, who missed much of the 2015 season due to injury problems, can earn back that missing $1.2MM if he’s able to stay healthy for most of the 2016 campaign.

According to Gehlken, Dunlap will earn a $400K bonus if he plays 50% of San Diego’s offensive snaps in 2016. He’ll earn another $400K if he reaches the 65% threshold, and a final $400K if he makes it to 80%.

The move creates $1.2MM in cap savings for the Chargers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Watt, Bryant, Others Get Salary Guarantees

March 13th, 2016 at 6:20pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Several NFL players have contracts containing language which states that they’ll get a full or partial salary guarantees for 2016 and/or 2017 if they remained on their respective teams on Sunday, the fifth day of the league year. Let’s check in on those players (link courtesy of CBS Sports’ Joel Corry):

Ryan Tannehill, quarterback (Dolphins): $3.5MM of $17.975MM base salary for 2017 is guaranteed.
Dez Bryant, wide receiver (Cowboys): $13MM base salary for 2017 is guaranteed.
T.Y. Hilton, wide receiver (Colts): $3MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed. $6MM roster bonus now payable.
Anthony Castonzo, offensive tackle (Colts): $2.5MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed. $4.5MM roster bonus now payable.
Tyron Smith, offensive tackle (Cowboys): $10MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.
Branden Albert, offensive tackle (Dolphins): $6MM of $8.245MM base salary for 2017 is guaranteed.
Mike Pouncey, center (Dolphins): $9MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed, as is $2MM of Pouncey’s $7.95MM base salary in 2017.
Maurkice Pouncey, center (Steelers): $3.5MM roster bonus now payable.
Cameron Heyward, defensive end (Steelers): $5MM roster bonus now payable.
J.J. Watt, defensive end (Texans): $10.5MM base salaries for 2016 and 2017 are guaranteed.
Robert Quinn, defensive end (Rams): $7,777,777MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.
Lavonte David, linebacker (Buccaneers): $5MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.
Chris Harris Jr., cornerback (Broncos): $6.9MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys, Tyron Smith Restructure Contract

March 9th, 2015 at 9:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

9:01pm: The Cowboys didn’t bring Smith’s base salary all the way down to the minimum, tweets Todd Archer of ESPN.com, meaning they only converted $10MM into a signing bonus.

7:03pm: Save for the Saints, the Cowboys were set to have the least amount of cap space in the NFL when the new league year begins tomorrow. As they attempt to make moves during free agency to shore up areas of need, they’ve agreed to a contract restructure with left tackle Tyron Smith that will free up more than $8MM in cap room, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News.

Per George, Dallas used a built-in restructuring mechanism attached to Smith’s contract, converting $10.2MM of his $11.039MM 2015 base salary into a signing bonus, creating a savings of $8.16MM. As such, the Cowboys will now have more than $11MM to work with when free agency starts tomorrow afternoon. Smith is in the midst of an eight-year, $109MM extension that contained $40MM guaranteed.

As George writes, the Cowboys could create an additional $12.8MM in space if they chose to restructure quarterback Tony Romo‘s contract. However, the club has already done so in the past, and would prefer not to tweak Romo’s deal again.

NFC Notes: Lynch, Peterson, Bush, Suh

November 27th, 2014 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

As the second half of the Bears/Lions game gets underway in Detroit, let’s round up a few Thanksgiving Day notes from around the NFC….

While head coach Pete Carroll insists that the Seahawks expect running back Marshawn Lynch to continue his career in Seattle in 2015, it won’t be an easy decision for the team, given Lynch’s age and increasing cap number. In an Insider-only piece, Field Yates of ESPN.com takes a closer look at the team’s upcoming decision on Lynch.
With the appeal hearing for his suspension set to commence next Tuesday, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has until tomorrow to submit any materials he plans to introduce at the hearing, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
After signing with the Cardinals, veteran running back Michael Bush is looking forward to getting a fresh start in Arizona, telling ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss that he didn’t feel as if he got a “fair shake” from the Bears during his last year in Chicago.
Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press believes the Lions should let defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh walk in free agency, arguing that GM Martin Mayhew and his staff have exhibited a knack for finding less cheaper – and often younger – defensive talent in the draft and free agency.
In a story for ESPN The Magazine, Tim Keown takes an interesting look at Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith‘s financial history since entering the NFL, including the Pro Bowler’s struggle with his family’s demands for money.

Cowboys Links: Hatcher, Murray, Smith

October 16th, 2014 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Having signed in the offseason with the Redskins, defensive lineman Jason Hatcher is now a member of the NFC East’s last-place team, rather than the 5-1 Cowboys. However, as Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com details, Hatcher has no regrets about leaving Dallas for Washington.

“Not at all,” Hatcher said. “I don’t really pay attention to them, man. I got a job to do. Those guys, they’re playing some great ball over there. But at the end of the day, I’ve got to come over here and be who I am.”

Let’s round up a few more Cowboys-related links….

DeMarco Murray‘s incredible performance so far this season is likely increasing his value and making it harder for the Cowboys to lock him up as he approaches free agency, but executive VP Stephen Jones is just fine with that, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. In fact, Jones would be happy if more players in similar situations make things hard on the Cowboys. “I hope we have our work cut out for us in the offseason, and that we’re coming off a big year and two or three of the players that are up for contract have great years,” Jones said. “That’ll be a good problem to have.”
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap takes an interesting, in-depth look at Murray’s upcoming free agency, which he believes will be crucial for the future of the running back position.
Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith, the NFC reigning offensive player of the week, does not have a high ankle sprain, and could be available to play in Week 7, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
A lawsuit filed against Cowboys owner Jerry Jones by former stripper Jana Weckerly has been dismissed, writes Archer at ESPNDallas.com. “Ms. Weckerly’s allegations were false,” said Jones’ attorney Levi McCathern. “This case is over.”
Earlier today, I asked which of the NFL’s 5-1 teams is the strongest Super Bowl contender, and so far the Cowboys are running last, behind the Chargers and Eagles, respectively.