Cowboys News: Tyron Smith 'Feeling Great' During Injury Rehab

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith said Saturday he feels "awesome" as he recovers from a knee injury suffered late in the 2017 NFL season.

Nick Eatman of the Cowboys' official website provided comments Smith made about his recovery while attending a football camp held by teammate Tyrone Crawford.

"I'm feeling great now," he said. "Actually, I feel like I'm in the best shape I've been in a while. I've taken this offseason to get back into it a little early and try to take care of my body a little more. I'm just doing the little small (rehab) things and I just feel awesome right now."

Smith was limited to 13 appearances last year because of knee and back injuries and was also forced to leave a couple games early with those ailments.

The 27-year-old USC product remained effective when healthy. Pro Football Focus graded him as the league's No. 20 offensive tackle.

He told Eatman he underwent MRI exams that confirmed he didn't need any surgeries, but he started his offseason program early to avoid recurrence of the problems in 2018.

"I went to California and went to a facility out there and starting training and rehabbing a little early," Smith said. "We just worked on the little things like stretching and taking pressure off my back and opening up my hips a little bit. It's just little things but I'm feeling great."

His presence on the left side of the line is crucial for the Cowboys, who dropped from fifth in total offense during the 2016 campaign to 14th in that category last year. Quarterback Dak Prescott was sacked 32 times, seven more than his 2016 Rookie of the Year season.

Smith added he's "happy" with where he stands with just over three months until training camp and appreciates the Cowboys' effort to bolster the line with free-agent additions Cameron Fleming and Marcus Martin.