Cowboys Fans Lose Hope on Season After Rumor Tyron Smith Needs Hamstring Surgery

Some members of the Dallas Cowboys fanbase may already be starting to lose hope for the 2022 season after Pro Bowl offensive tackle Tyron Smith suffered a serious hamstring injury.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported an update Thursday, noting Smith is expected to miss at least a vast majority of the regular season:

ESPN's Adam Schefter added the surgery could happen "as early as today" and provided the same December best-case timetable as Rapoport.

It's a major setback for a Dak Prescott-led offense already dealing with injuries to a pair of key wide receivers, Michael Gallup and James Washington.

Here's a look at some reaction to the news:

Matt Waletzko and Josh Ball are likely to compete over the next few weeks to fill the critical void along the Cowboys' offensive line. Neither one can be expected to match the standard of Smith, who earned a terrific 91.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2021.

Dallas will hope it is able to keep pace in the wide-open NFC East long enough for the eight-time Pro Bowler to return for the stretch run of the regular season.

Reaching the playoffs is going to get tougher with each additional injury, however, especially since the ability to protect Prescott, who's less than two years removed from a serious ankle injury, is now a massive concern.

The Cowboys don't get an easy start to their schedule either. They open the regular season with two matchups against Super Bowl contenders: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.