Within days of trading Micah Parsons, the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones gave cornerback DaRon Bland a $92 million extension. As the team appears to avoid repeating history, head coach Brian Schottenheimer hopes guard Tyler Smith will soon receive his lucrative payday.
Hours after Bland's extension was announced, Schottenheimer did not hesitate to vocalize his support for Smith's contract outlook. The first-year head coach wants Smith to be “next,” he told NFL insider Ian Rapoport, who broke the news of Bland's extension.
“What a talent,” Schottenheimer said, via Rapoport. “Hopefully, he's the next one to get done.”
Smith has been dealing with a minor knee injury throughout the 2025 offseason. He continues to miss practices, but the team remains confident that he will be ready for the start of the season.
Like Bland, Smith is preparing for his fourth season with the Cowboys. The All-Pro guard still has two years remaining on his rookie deal after Dallas picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
Through three years, Smith has already made two Pro Bowl rosters and one All-Pro team. He has started all 50 games in his career, only missing four contests since his rookie year.
Smith and Bland both joined the team in the 2022 NFL Draft, where the former was the team's first-round pick and the latter was taken in the fifth round. The two have since done nothing but dominate on opposite sides of the ball, with the exception of Bland missing 10 games in 2024 due to a foot fracture.
Cowboys begin 2025 season against Eagles
If Jerry Jones decides to give Tyler Smith his extension, it will likely come in the 2026 offseason. Assuming he returns for the Cowboys' Week 1 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, Smith will have his next 17 games to prove his worth as an elite offensive lineman.
The Week 1 matchup, which will kick off the 2025 season, will also be Schottenheimer's debut as a head coach. The former offensive coordinator succeeds Mike McCarthy, whom the team decided not to extend at the end of the 2025 season.
Given their tumultuous offseason, the Cowboys are closing as 7.5-point underdogs against the Eagles, who won Super Bowl LIX in their last game. Although just the first game of the year, the matchup could end up holding significant playoff implications at the end of the season if the NFC East ends up being as competitive as expected.
