The Dallas Cowboys have made their first big move this offseason. Tyron Smith became a free agent after spending 13 long seasons with the franchise. As per recent reports, the offensive tackle has now joined the New York Jets with a one-year deal, and the move has become a hot topic for debate.

Smith has been a consistent backbone of Dallas’ offense, and despite injuries littering his past seasons, the tackle was respected as one of the best in his position. He will now support Aaron Rodgers in the Jets, and many analysts have questioned this move by the Cowboys. David Helman voiced one such opinion on ‘The NFL on Fox Podcast.’

Helman feels Tyron Smith was an affordable keep

Dallas has been losing players consistently this offseason. After their defense coordinator, Dan Quinn joined the Washington Commanders as the head coach, defensive lead Dorance Armstrong followed his lead. Running Back Tony Pollard is also reportedly joining the Tennessee Titans in favor of a lucrative three-year deal worth $24 million. Helman feels that despite witnessing these big departures, the Cowboys’ inability to retain Smith is disappointing.

Helman opined that the Cowboys’ decision to trade Smith to the Jets as their first major move of this offseason will fare off for the worse. He pointed out that the Smith’s new contract is worth $6.5 million, which shouldn’t have been unaffordable for Dallas. Moreover, the rough amount of $13 million in guarantees would have been an incentive for a good play from the offensive tackle.

“You [Dallas Cowboys] knew Dorance Armstrong wasn’t gonna be affordable to keep,” said Helman. “You knew some guys are gonna follow Dan Quinn to Washington. You knew Tony Pollard was gonna sign too big of a deal to keep. But Tyron Smith signs a one-year deal with just six and a half million in guarantees and roughly 13 million in incentives. It’s up to 20 million, but he’s gonna have to play a lot of good football to make that much money. This is the first move of the Cowboys offseason that I genuinely think makes them a worse team in 2024.”

Even though Smith’s loss could be problematic for the Cowboys, the Jets have further strengthened the team that they’re designing around veteran QB Rodgers.

How Smith will help the Jets’ offensive line

The Jets’ general manager, Joe Douglas, has started off on a mission to reconstruct the team’s offensive line. This season, the franchise has already signed guard John Simpson and tackle Morgan Moses to fill the holes in their lineup. With the latest addition of Smith, it seems like the team’s offensive side of the roster is taking shape for the upcoming season.

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The focus on the development of the offensive line comes with the intention of supporting the return of Aaron Rodgers. The veteran quarterback had a season-ending Achilles injury but is expected to return in full form this year. Smith might prove to be a valuable inclusion to the roster. The former Dallas tackle had 12 average tackles last year, with injuries forcing him to stay off-field for most of the season, as per PFF.

Smith’s addition to the Jets promises a new structure and support to a Rodger-led offense. While New York is vehemently restructuring their roster, the tackle’s trade from his long-time home might prove costly for the Dallas Cowboys.

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