Cowboys' need to build offensive line depth stressed again with Tyler Smith exiting practice early

OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — The hits keep on coming for the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line, after left guard Tyler Smith came out of practice early on Thursday.

Smith is dealing with tendinitis in his knee, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones told the Dallas Morning News. Smith left practice with about 30 minutes remaining and told reporters he was fine as he walked down the sideline back to the team’s training camp setup.

A first-round draft pick in 2022, Smith has started 47 games in his three seasons with the Cowboys. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2023 and has made the Pro Bowl twice.

Smith is the third Dallas offensive lineman to be injured in less than a week.

Starting left tackle Tyler Guyton was hurt Monday, one day after reserve guard Rob Jones broke a bone in his neck. Coach Brian Schottenheimer described Guyton’s right knee fracture, which will keep him out four to six weeks, as the best-case scenario given the circumstances.

“We need to have a physical camp,” Schottenheimer said Wednesday. “We need to pop and hit and wrap and thud in pads. You look at the play that happened to Tyler, it was a blitz and just some bodies got tangled up, and that happens in football. You hate to see it, but again, at the end of the day, as you look at it now, it’s like, ‘Hey, I think we got away with one.’”

Jones had been competing to start at right guard and will require two to three months to recover. The extended absences of Guyton and Jones won't change how offensive coordinator Klayton Adams approaches the rest of camp and the preseason. The Cowboys' emphasis on building depth and having as many players capable of contributing as possible has become that much more important.

“We create as much competition as we can, that’s the easy answer to it,” said Adams, who was the offensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals the past two seasons before joining Schottenheimer’s staff in January. “Obviously, it’s unfortunate any time you got guys that are going to miss (time), but it’s also one of the reasons that we don’t really believe in kind of that old mentality of get the starters ready to play. We need to get everybody ready to play, and everybody on this roster needs to be getting better.”

Nate Thomas, a second-year player from Louisiana Tech, is getting the first look at replacing Guyton at left tackle. Thomas is 6-foot-4 and weighs 330 pounds, and that size carries over to the field.

“So again, Nate, the power jumps off the film,” Schottenheimer said. “I mean, the power of the man and his body, so the first thing that jumps out is his ability to get displacement in the run game. He’s able to move the dot, we call it. That’s the guy who the backs are reading.”

Thomas spent his rookie season on injured reserve because of a partial tear of his patellar tendon after being drafted in the seventh round. The Cowboys originally expected him to move inside to guard, but Schottenheimer said Thomas’ footwork was so good during offseason workouts this spring that it prompted a return to his more natural position.

But that doesn’t mean Thomas will focus exclusively on left tackle. Adams stresses versatility over specialization. The swing tackle needs to be able to play both spots, and being able to move inside if needed can make a lineman all the more valuable.

“You know, we tell all of our guys that unless you are an All-Pro at left guard or right tackle or whatever, you need to be able to play as many spots as you can possibly play,” Adams said.

Thomas credits a conversation with quarterback Dak Prescott this summer for helping him adjust to sudden changes.

“He told me straight up, like, you need to be ready, you know?” Thomas said. “And I just took that in stride, and just make sure I go about every day just knowing that, hey, I need to treat this as if I’m a starter because you never know when my number is called. And, you know, here I am.”

The Cowboys are exploring all options to bolster their numbers on the offensive line, including scheduling a workout with La’el Collins. Collins played six of his first seven seasons in the NFL with Dallas but has been out of the league the past two years.

“I just saw him back there actually, and it was a very joyous reunion,” Prescott said after practice Thursday.

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Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, left, and offensive tackle Nathan Thomas grapple during training camp Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer gestures during training camp Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Aaron Glenn finally had seen enough from his porous, underachieving New York Jets defense after 14 games.

The first-year head coach fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks on Monday, a day after the team gave up 48 points in one of its worst losses in a 3-11 season.

Glenn announced that Chris Harris, the team's defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator, would take over for Wilks. Glenn added that he would assist Harris in the play-calling duties this week.

Glenn said during a video call with reporters that he made the decision late Sunday night — a few hours after New York's 48-20 loss at Jacksonville. He said he spoke to Wilks on Monday morning to inform him that he was relieving him of his duties.

“I felt like it was the best decision for the organization at this time,” Glenn said. “I've said this all along, that I'm evaluating players, I'm evaluating coaches, I'm evaluating myself, and I just felt like this was the best decision for right now, for the team and for this organization.”

The 56-year-old Wilks was the first of the Jets' three coordinators hired by Glenn after he took over as head coach in January. Wilks was out of the NFL last season while serving as a volunteer adviser for Charlotte’s football team. He was San Francisco’s defensive coordinator in 2023, but was fired after the 49ers’ loss in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Wilks' defense with the Jets struggled all season, ranking among the league's worst against the run and points allowed. New York set an NFL record with no interceptions through its first 14 games, which also tied a league mark for any 14-game stretch in a season.

The Jets had expected their defense to be a strength for a team that was adjusting to changes to its coaching staff and with a new general manager in Darren Mougey. But the unit struggled all season under Wilks. As of Monday, the Jets' defense ranks 20th overall, 29th against the run and 30th in average points allowed. The pass defense has been serviceable, ranking 12th in the league.

New York, which failed to make the playoffs for the 15th straight year, dealt two of its top players — cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams — at the trade deadline. That further weakened an already inconsistent defense under Wilks.

Two weeks ago, the Jets gave up 167 yards rushing in a 27-24 victory over Atlanta. They followed that up by allowing 239 yards on the ground last week in a 34-10 loss to Miami. On Sunday, Trevor Lawrence threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score in the blowout loss at Jacksonville, during which the Jaguars scored on eight of their first nine possessions.

After the game, Glenn brushed off questions about whether he might consider pulling play-calling duties from Wilks, saying he brought the veteran coach to New York “for a reason, and I want him to run his system.” A few hours later, Glenn decided to move forward without Wilks for the final three games of the season.

“I just thought that from last week going into this week, the improvement wasn't there,” Glenn said. “And I thought it was time to make a change.”

The 43-year-old Harris had 16 career interceptions while playing safety for eight NFL seasons during two stints with Chicago, along with stops in Carolina, Detroit and Jacksonville. After retiring from playing in 2013, Harris began his coaching career as a defensive quality control coach for the Bears before joining the Chargers as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2016.

He served in the same role for Washington from 2020 through the 2022 season before being hired by Tennessee as the defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach.

Glenn said Harris has experience calling defensive plays in the preseason, so he expects him to get up to speed quickly.

“This is a league of change,” Glenn said. “And with change comes opportunity, and this will be a good opportunity for him to get a chance to call it.”

The Jets actually got their second defensive takeaway of the season against Jacksonville, a fumble recovery by Malachi Moore — just over two months after Andre Cisco's fumble recovery against Denver on Oct. 12. New York ranks last in the NFL with a minus-17 turnover differential.

“I want to see consistent improvement,” Glenn said. “I want to see structure that’s consistent. I want to see play that’s consistent. And I want to see the culture of this football team come together.”

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FILE - New York Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks walks onto the field before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, on Sept. 29, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Doug Murray, File)