Tyler Smith signs rookie contract with Cowboys then continues working at LG in minicamp
Before the most recent CBA, where rookie contracts were negotiable, the Dallas Cowboys were never the quickest to come to terms with their draft choice. There was a time when DeMarcus Ware was late to training camp because he and the front office were busy haggling over the terms of his compensation.
That issue is no more. Look no further than the most recent contract development coming out of The Star as rookie offensive lineman Tyler Smith has agreed to terms with the team just two weeks after being selected with the No. 24 pick in the NFL draft.
Cowboys signed rookie first-round pick Tyler Smith this morning, sources said. Four-year deal is worth $13.38 million fully guaranteed with a fifth-year team option.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) May 13, 2022
Smith returned to work at rookie minicamp, where he continued to work at left guard for the first time since high school.
“It felt good, I won’t even lie,” Smith said via DallasCowboys.com. “You surprise yourself sometimes. It was a great feeling.”
“It was a change, for sure. But I felt like, today, I really rose to the challenge,” he said. “Of course, there’s more to improve upon – I even realize that, just in the way I step. It’s all different. But having Coach Philbin and Coach Blasko teaching me and taking me through the steps, they’re doing a great job getting me up to speed.”
The Cowboys had just over $15 million in cap space before this move was completed according to Over the Cap but that’s including base-salary placeholders for the entirety of their rookie class. The four-year deal will have a fifth-year option available to the team after the 2024 NFL season.
Smith is not yet a bargain, though he could be if he lives up to the lofty standards Jerry Jones and company have hoisted upon him. He is the fourth highest paid lineman on the team behind left tackle Tyron Smith, right guard Zack Martin and recently departed right tackle La’el Collins.
