T.J. Bass will open the season at left guard for the Dallas Cowboys, a shift that arrived after Tyler Smith went on injured reserve following thumb surgery. Quarterback Dak Prescott did not treat the change as a crisis.
"T.J.'s a true pro," Prescott said, according to a KERA News report of Associated Press coverage. "When you've got a guy like T.J., you don't even flinch."
That steadiness matters as Dallas heads into Sunday Night Football at the New York Giants. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is set for 7:20 p.m. CT (8:20 p.m.
EDT) on NBC, the first primetime window of the 2026 season. The Cowboys are building playoff expectations after missing the postseason the previous two years. The offensive line question is the first concrete test of how that roster holds up when a starter is unavailable.
Smith timeline and the IR designation
Smith had surgery Tuesday morning to repair a ligament in his left thumb. Coach Brian Schottenheimer had framed the absence at roughly four to six weeks when he announced the procedure Monday, Dallas Sports Journal reported. The staff could not identify when the injury occurred.
"We can't pinpoint when it happened," Schottenheimer said, per Dallas Sports Journal. "We made the decision that the best thing is to get in front of this."
Grip strength is central for an interior lineman, and Schottenheimer underscored that point when explaining why the team moved quickly. Dallas placed Smith on reserve/injured-designated for return on Wednesday. That designation requires him to miss at least four games. The earliest return window is Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Schottenheimer said Wednesday the surgery "went great," according to Dallas Sports Journal citing The Athletic's Jon Machota, and that Smith will be back "sooner than later."
Why Bass is the next man up
Bass has appeared in 48 games with 10 starts across three seasons in Dallas, including five starts last year. The club placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on him in the offseason. Schottenheimer connected that tender to how the staff evaluates Bass relative to the players ahead of him on the depth chart.
"Tyler Smith's a great player, but we feel really confident in T.J., and he's put great film on here," Schottenheimer said, per Dallas Sports Journal. "He's played next to Cooper Beebe, he's played next to [Tyler] Guyton, so that's nothing new, the communication and all that stuff."
He added that Dallas tendered Bass because the coaching staff trusts him as a football player and called him "a damn good football player" who has been behind strong starters. The continuity with Beebe and Guyton is the practical piece: Bass has already worked the same interior communication that will be asked of him Sunday night.
