Tyron Jerrar Smith (born December 12, 1990) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans where he won the Morris Trophy, recognizing the best offensive and defensive linemen on the West Coast, in 2010. Smith was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. In 13 seasons with the Cowboys, Smith was an eight-time Pro Bowler, a five-time All-Pro, and was named to the 2010s All-Decade Team.

Tyron Smith
refer to caption
Smith with the Dallas Cowboys in 2017
No. 77 – New York Jets
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1990-12-12) December 12, 1990 (age 33)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school:Rancho Verde
(Moreno Valley, California)
College:USC (2008–2010)
NFL draft:2011 / round: 1 / pick: 9
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2024
Games played:164
Games started:164
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Smith attended Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, California, where he played on the offensive and defensive line.[1] He earned All-American honors by Parade, SuperPrep, PrepStar, Scout.com, and EA Sports, while also receiving numerous other All-Region honors. As a junior in 2006, he made Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass second team, All-CIF Central Division first team, and Riverside Press-Enterprise All-Riverside County second team. Smith played in the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Also a standout in track & field at Rancho Verde, Smith notched top-throws of 14.23 meters (46 feet, 7 inches) in the shot put and 46.62 meters (152 feet, 10 inches) in the discus.[2]

Considered a five-star recruit and described as "an amazing right tackle prospect" by Rivals.com, Smith was ranked as the No. 6 offensive tackle prospect.[3] Scout.com, who also viewed Smith as a five-star recruit, listed him as the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the nation.[4]

College career

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Smith played three seasons with the USC Trojans from 2008 to 2010. As a freshman, he was the backup left offensive tackle. He appeared in 10 games. As a sophomore, he started the first twelve games at right offensive tackle. He earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention and CollegeFootballNews.com Sophomore All-American honorable mention for the 2009 season.[5] As a junior, he appeared in twelve games.[6]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Smith was considered one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the 2011 NFL draft.[7][8]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 5 in
(1.96 m)
307 lb
(139 kg)
36+38 in
(0.92 m)
11 in
(0.28 m)
4.93 s 1.69 s 2.87 s 4.68 s 7.47 s 29 in
(0.74 m)
9 ft 1 in
(2.77 m)
31 reps
All values from NFL Combine, except bench press and 40 yard dash. (Pro Day)[9]

Dallas Cowboys

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Smith (right) in 2011

2011 season

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Selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the ninth overall pick, he was the first offensive lineman drafted in the first round by the Cowboys since Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989, and the highest in franchise history since John Niland went fifth overall in 1966.[10] He signed a four-year, $12.5 million contract.[11]

Entering the league as a 20-year-old rookie, Smith was named a starter at right tackle from the first day of Organized Team Activities, with Doug Free taking over the left tackle spot. His role became even more important after the Cowboys released veteran offensive linemen Marc Colombo, Leonard Davis, Andre Gurode, and Montrae Holland during the preseason. Smith started every game and earned praise for his play, prompting the media to speculate on a possible move to left tackle in the next season.[12][13] He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.[14]

2012 season

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Starting the 2012 season, Smith switched to starting left tackle, switching sides on the offensive line with Free. On September 12, Smith was fined $15,000 for a touchdown-saving horse-collar tackle he made during the season opener against the New York Giants.[15] He started 15 games for the Cowboys in the 2012 season.[16]

2013 season

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In his third year with the Cowboys, Smith committed just one holding penalty and allowed only one sack in his 16 starts.[17] He was named to the 2014 Pro Bowl on Team Rice.[18] He was ranked 78th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.[19]

2014 season

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If you went into a computer lab and tried to create the perfect prototype tackle, it would be him. Smith does things to guys—toys with them, humbles them—that you honestly shouldn't be able to do to people in the NFL.

— Ross Tucker, former NFL lineman-turned-analyst.[20]

Smith signed an eight-year, $109 million contract extension with the Cowboys in July, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league at the time.[21] He was widely considered one of the top three offensive tackles in the league, and for his play against the Seattle Seahawks, he became the first offensive lineman in 10 years to be named Offensive Player of the Week.[22] He started all 16 games for the NFL's second ranked rushing offense, while helping DeMarco Murray become the league's rushing leader.[23][24] He was ranked 36th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.[25] Smith was named as a Pro Bowler and first team All-Pro.[26][27]

2015 season

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Smith started all 16 games, helped clear the way for the NFL's fourth leading rusher (Darren McFadden) and earned his third Pro Bowl selection.[28][29][30][31] He was ranked 42nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[32]

2016 season

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Forced to play through nagging injuries throughout the season, Smith helped lead the Cowboys to a 13–3 record, and aided rookie Ezekiel Elliott in becoming the league's leading rusher.[33][34][35] Smith was named the first team left tackle for the 2016 All-Pro Team, the second time he carried this honor in his career.[36] He was named to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl and was named First-team All-Pro, both honors being shared with fellow Cowboy offensive linemen Travis Frederick and Zack Martin.[37][38] He was ranked 18th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017 as the highest ranked offensive lineman.[39]

2017 season

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Dallas Cowboys offensive line in a game against the Washington Redskins, 2017

Smith was named to his fifth straight Pro Bowl alongside guard Zack Martin and center Travis Frederick for the second straight year.[40] Smith's 2017 season was marred by multiple injuries, which included to his knee, back, groin, and hip. He started and played in 13 games.[41] He was placed on injured reserve on December 29, meaning that he would not play in the season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.[42][43] He was ranked 39th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[44]

2018 season

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Smith started 13 games at left tackle, missing three with injury, on his way to his sixth straight Pro Bowl.[45][46] He was ranked 52nd by active NFL players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.[47]

2019 season

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Smith started 13 games at left tackle in 2019.[48] He earned a seventh straight Pro Bowl selection since 2013.[49] He was ranked #78th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.[50][51] He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010s Team. [52]

2020 season

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In 2020, Smith had been bothered by a neck issue spanning within the past years.[53] On October 9, Smith announced that he would forgo the rest of the 2020 season after choosing to have surgery on his neck. He was subsequently placed on the injured reserve.[54][55]

2021 season

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Smith suffered multiple ankle injuries that lingered throughout the season. Smith missed Weeks 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, and 16 due to the injuries.[56] He started in 11 regular season games and the Cowboys' Wild Card Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers.[57] He was named to the Pro Bowl for the 2021 season.[58] He was ranked 92nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.[59]

2022 season

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Smith suffered a torn hamstring in practice during training camp.[60] He was placed on injured reserve on August 31, 2022.[61] He was activated on December 17,[62] and moved to right tackle with the emergence of Tyler Smith.[63] He made his season debut in Week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He started in four regular season games and the Cowboys' two playoff games in the 2022 season.[64]

2023 season

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Smith appeared in and started 13 games for the Cowboys in the 2023 season.[65]

New York Jets

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On March 18, 2024, Smith signed with the New York Jets on a one-year deal worth up to $20 million.[66][67]

Regular season statistics

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Legend
First Team All-Pro
Second Team All-Pro
No type penalty
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Offense
GP GS Snaps Pct Holding False start Decl/Pen Acpt/Pen
2011 DAL 16 16 - 100% 3 4 1 7
2012 DAL 15 15 949 93% 2 7 0 11
2013 DAL 16 16 996 100% 1 3 3 4
2014 DAL 16 16 1060 100% 2 5 1 8
2015 DAL 16 16 1029 100% 3 4 2 8
2016 DAL 13 13 835 97% 4 2 1 6
2017 DAL 13 13 758 87% 5 3 0 8
2018 DAL 13 13 849 99% 7 2 0 10
2019 DAL 13 13 882 99% 5 1 1 7
2020 DAL 2 2 154 100% 0 1 0 1
2021 DAL 11 11 739 91% 5 0 2 7
2022 DAL 4 4 271 92% 0 0 1 0
2023 DAL 13 13 847 94% 2 1 0 2
Career 161 161 9,369 - 39 33 12 80

References

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  2. ^ "High School Track and Field Data". Tracking Football. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  3. ^ "Rivals.com offensive tackles 2008". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  4. ^ "10 things to know about Cowboys OL Tyron Smith, including his insane bench press and odd eating problem". Dallas News. June 18, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "Tyron Smith - Football". USC Athletics. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "Tyron Smith College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  7. ^ Wolfe, Keaton (February 23, 2011). "2011 NFL Draft: Top 10 Offensive Tackles". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  8. ^ Van Wie, Dan (April 17, 2011). "2011 NFL Draft: Top 25 Offensive Linemen Power Rankings". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  9. ^ "Draft analysts on Cowboys' Tyron Smith: He's an 'immediate replacement'". Dallas Morning News. April 28, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
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  11. ^ Archer, Todd (September 2, 2011). "Tyron Smith, 20, isn't showing his age". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
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  35. ^ Hill Jr., Clarence E. (January 2, 2017). "Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott wins the NFL rushing title on his day off". Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017.
  36. ^ "Elliott, Ryan lead AP All-Pro Team". Sports Illustrated. January 6, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  37. ^ "Three rookies, Matt Ryan among players named to All-Pro team". NFL.com. January 6, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
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  43. ^ Phillips, Rob (December 29, 2017). "Scandrick, T. Smith Headed To IR; OT, WR To Be Signed From Practice Squad". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
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  49. ^ "2019 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  50. ^ "2020 NFL Pro Bowl rosters for AFC, NFC: Lamar Jackson leads the picks". ESPN.com. December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
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  53. ^ Benjamin, Cody (October 9, 2020). "Cowboys' Tyron Smith to undergo neck surgery and will miss rest of the 2020 season". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  54. ^ Phillips, Rob (October 9, 2020). "Tyron Smith To Have Season-Ending Surgery". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  55. ^ Ochoa, RJ (October 10, 2020). "Cowboys roster move: Anthony Brown returns, Francis Bernard promoted, Tyron Smith and Joe Looney to IR". Blogging the Boys. SB Nation. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  56. ^ "Tyron Smith Injuries - NFL". FOX Sports. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
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  60. ^ Selbe, Nick (August 25, 2022). "Report: Update Provided on Cowboys Pro Bowler Who Suffered Severe Injury in Practice". SI.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  61. ^ Brock, Todd (August 31, 2022). "Cowboys move Tyron Smith, James Washington to IR; re-sign two specialists". Cowboys Wire. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  62. ^ Williams, Charean (December 17, 2022). "Cowboys activate Tyron Smith from injured reserve". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  63. ^ Ghelken, Michael (December 16, 2022). "Cowboys' Tyron Smith switches to right tackle, makes difficult transition look easy". Dallas News. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
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  65. ^ "Tyron Smith 2023 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  66. ^ Pullano, John (March 18, 2024). "OL Tyron Smith Signs with Jets". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  67. ^ Gonzales, Christian (March 15, 2024). "Jets expected to sign former Cowboys OT Tyron Smith to one-year deal worth up to $20 million". NFL.com. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
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