The Dallas Cowboys have the pieces in place to have one of the best offenses in the NFL during the 2023 season. They made a shrewd move acquiring wide receiver Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans to upgrade the passing attack. 

His presence will make life easier for CeeDee Lamb, who had defenses loading up against him as the team’s No. 1 and sometimes only producing option, through the air. Cooks provides Dak Prescott with another reliable veteran as the Cowboys lacked another consistent option behind Lamb.

But, for everything to truly click, the most important thing is to win in the trenches. The Cowboys offensive line needs to perform at a high level and luckily for them, they have the parts to succeed there as well.

However, if there is one uncertainty among that group it is left tackle Tyron Smith. Smith has been an elite performer at times in his career, but injuries have really hit him hard in the last few seasons. 

That, in large part, is why Smith is predicted by Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report to be the biggest bust of the 2023 season for the Cowboys. He appeared in only four games last season, playing 271 snaps, and the numbers weren’t great.

His PFF grade of 58.6 is a huge drop off from the 91.4 that he recorded during the 2021 season. The injuries could very well be catching up to him as Smith hasn’t played a full season since 2015, missing at least three games in seven consecutive seasons.

With Terence Steele’s availability currently up in the air, there is a chance that Smith is in the starting lineup once again for the Cowboys. They should hope that Steele has a speedy recovery because another season of performing at the same level as which Smith did last season could sink the Cowboys’ offense.

On the bright side, the Cowboys do have a long-term option at left tackle already on the roster. 2022 first-round pick Tyler Smith played well in Tyron’s spot as a rookie and could step into the role once again if need be.