The Dallas Cowboys have a big, big question at left tackle with fewer than two weeks to go before Week 1. Could they turn to the Jacksonville Jaguars to help them find a solution?
According to sources close to the situation, the Cowboys have Jaguars offensive tackle Walker Little "high on their list" as they look at external options to replace injured left tackle Tyron Smith.
Smith suffered an avulsion fracture of the knee in Dallas' Wednesday practice and needs surgery. Smith won't be back on the field until December at the earliest, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported this week.
Little displayed legitimate starter potential in three starts at left tackle in 2021. Little's strong play in relief of Cam Robinson against the Bills and then the Patriots and Colts in the last two games of the season was enough to inspire confidence in Little as a starter option at right tackle entering this offseason, especially after he allowed just one pressure in his final two starts last season.
Little likely would have been a high first-round pick if not for circumstances outside of his control at Stanford. He sustained a season-ending injury in 2019 and then the COVID-19 pandemic derailed his final season at Stanford, leading to the Jaguars getting a potential steal at No. 45 overall.
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The Jaguars could hold leverage in any event they are asked about Little's availability because the Cowboys don't seem to have many options. Smith will miss most of the season, while former draft pick Josh Ball isn't a starting tackle and 2022 first-rounder Tyler Smith has been competing for a starting role at left guard when he hasn't battled minor injuries of his own.
“We just really found this out in the wee hours, but it’s a setback,” Jones said on ESPN about Smith's injury this week. “You’ve got to take what you’re dealt and go on with him. We’ve got some good options. We’ve got a team around him. We’ve got a defense that is probably as strong as we’ve had in years. . . . We’ll have him, and we’ll have him at the right time. We’ll have him in that San Francisco game, the equivalent of it, that we had last year. And maybe we won’t fall short.”
The question is just how interested the Jaguars would actually be to trade Walker. Early logic suggests the Jaguars wouldn't be incredibly open to it; they just selected Little in the second-round a year ago and he is competing for a starting job at right tackle with Jawaan Taylor.
Little has had a good camp and preseason for the Jaguars and will either be their starting tackle or the all-important swing tackle. It seems unlikely the Jaguars would entertain moving Little, but that won't stop teams like the Cowboys from doing their homework on him.
"Walker has done an outstanding job as well, so it’s interesting for us," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said earlier in camp. "We’re kind of in a good spot with it because you can kind of go either way and the other guy can be the swing tackle or whatever. I think this week will be important and even when we go to Atlanta and practice in Atlanta will be another good opportunity for both of them.”
The Link LonkAugust 27, 2022 at 03:49AM
https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/duval-insider-plus/sources-cowboys-high-on-jaguars-walker-little-in-search-for-tyron-smith-replacement
Sources: Cowboys High on Jaguars’ Walker Little in Search for Tyron Smith Replacement - Sports Illustrated
https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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