For a good decade earlier in his career, Jason Peters was among the best left tackles in the NFL. We’re talking Tyron Smith and Trent Williams level play.
Now 40 years old, there’s a chance that Peters could ultimately land with the Dallas Cowboys as a potential short-term replacement for Smith. ESPN’s Todd Archer reported on Wednesday that the veteran is slated to meet with Dallas.
He could potentially land in Big D to act as a stopgap until Smith returns from injury. Remember, the current Cowboys left tackle suffered a torn hamstring in training camp practice earlier this summer and is expected to be sidelined until at least December. Dallas officially placed Smith on injured reserved Wednesday.
Here’s a look at three reasons why Jason Peters makes perfect sense for the ‘Boys.
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Experience matters in protecting Dak Prescott’s blindside
As of right now, rookie first-round pick Tyler Smith will start at left tackle Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He lost out on the starting left guard spot during training camp and can’t possibly be ready to take on the pressure that comes with protecting Dak Prescott’s blindside.
“We’ve got to get him out here and get him practiced here over the next couple of weeks relative to any issue he had with a little high-ankle (sprain). But we don’t think that’s serious enough to limit his preparation. Now, what is the case is he hasn’t been there at left tackle. He is a rookie. But he’s a first-round pick and he deserved to be a first-round pick in my mind. And so we knew — we just didn’t want it to come any earlier than it needed — but we knew we had to get ready to replace our left tackle and he was the pick.”
Dallas Cowboy Owner Jerry Jones on Tyler Smith
No, practice does not make everything perfect in this situation. Flush with 218 career starts in 228 games dating back to his rookie season with the Buffalo Bills in 2004, Jason Peters has the experience to step right in and act as Prescott’s blindside protector. That’s no small thing with the qurterback less than two years removed from what was then a career-threatening injury.
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Dallas Cowboys up against it to open 2022 NFL season
Starting with the season opener, Dallas will be facing some elite-level edge pass rushers. Having Tyler Smith hold down the fort while being forced to throw consistent double teams in the direction of said pass rushers can’t be ideal in Kellen Moore’s otherwise spread-out offense. Just look at what these initial opponents did a season ago.
- Week 1: Shaquil Barrett (10 sacks, 22 QB hits)
- Week 2: Trey Hendrickson (14 sacks, 27 QB hits)
- Week 3: Azeez Ojulari (8 sacks, 13 QB hits)
- Week 5: Leonard Floyd (9.5 sacks, 18 QB hits)
That doesn’t even take into account facing off with reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald in Week 5 against the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
In short, Dallas is up against it to open the 2022 season. Despite his advanced age of 40, Jason Peters still continues to play at a high level. According to Pro Football Focus, Peters posted a solid 77.5 grade with the Chicago Bears a season ago.
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Jason Peters would provide the Dallas Cowboys more flexibility
With Peters in the mix, Tyler Smith could move to either a swing tackle role or back inside as the rookie gets his footing in the NFL. He could also transition to right tackle should current starter Terence Steele struggle in that role. Per PFF, he was Dallas’ lowest-graded starting offensive lineman a season ago with a 64.5 mark.
The flexibility of having Smith return to either a reserve role or playing another position also extends to second-year player Josh Ball being a top option on the second unit, too. He was taking first-team reps at left tackle during training camp when Tyron Smith was not participating. Having him and the young Smith as top reserves creates more depth for Dallas. That’s one of the primary reasons signing Jason Peters makes a ton of sense ahead of Week 1.