Cowboys don’t think Tyron Smith’s back injury too serious

Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith is dealing with back tightness early on in training camp.

Owner Jerry Jones and coach Jason Garrett each said they don’t believe this is a long-term concern for Smith. Instead, the organization is simply taking a cautious approach with their All-Pro left tackle considering the regular season is still more than five weeks away.

“We have a long way to go here. We’re just holding him out,” Jones said. “We just think the best thing to do is rest it. It’s not something that’s alarming in anyway. It tightened up. But I have to emphasize it’s not in anyway alarming.”

Added Garrett: “He will have a little time off here the next few days. Hopefully he responds the next few days.”

Garrett refused to get into specifics regarding Smith’s back, but said he would fly with the team to Canton, Ohio for the Hall of Fame festivities later this week. Smith was unlikely to play in Thursday’s Hall of Fame game even before the injury.

Smith has battled back injuries in recent years. He missed two games early on last season with a back injury, and also sat out the season finale with a sprained right knee.

Smith, a four-time Pro Bowler, had started 55 straight games before sitting out the Week 3 contest against the Chicago Bears last season. He also missed the Week 4 game against San Francisco.

Smith, 26, has started 92 of 96 regular-season games in his six-year career.

The Cowboys had Emmett Cleary working as the first-team left tackle in Smith’s absence.

This story was originally published August 1, 2017 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Cowboys don’t think Tyron Smith’s back injury too serious."