Mike McCarthy updates the status of Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman

Everything’s trending in the right direction for the Cowboys and offensive lineman Tyron Smith. Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy updated the tackle’s status ahead of practice on Thursday.

McCarthy said Smith had a good practice on Wednesday and he’ll be a limited participant again Thursday. He may also participate in 11-on-11 drills.

Smith’s status for the afternoon game on Sunday against Kansas City is still up in the air but based on McCarthy’s comments on Wednesday, it sounds likely.

“If he can practice again tomorrow, that’s a good sign he will return Sunday after missing the last two games,” McCarthy said.

Tyron Smith has been out for the past two weeks after leaving the Week 9 matchup against Minnesota with a sprained ankle. Terrance Steele, who had been the starting right tackle in place of the suspended La’el Collins, has been getting snaps at left tackle. Consequently, quarterback Dak Prescott has been under duress more often lately.

If Smith does return, Dallas will have one of the strongest offensive lines in the NFL. Smith and Collins back at the two tackle spots with Zack Martin at right guard will give Prescott more than enough time to make plays.

There was hope Smith could play on Sunday against the Falcons. However, after not practicing on Thursday, he was ruled out. Head coach Mike McCarthy said Smith was “making progress” but was not going to be ready to play.

On the positive side of the spectrum, Smith’s injury was not one that required surgery according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. It would have been the second season in a row the left tackle had missed an extended period of time.

Cowboys return kicker Greg Zuerlein

The Dallas Cowboys got kicker Greg Zuerlein and running backs coach Skip Peete back on Thursday after the two missed Sunday’s game versus Atlanta. Both tested positive last week for COVID-19.

Zuerlein’s absence hardly mattered, or Peete’s, as the Cowboys throttled the Falcons to the tune of a 43-3 victory.

Zuerlein, who spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams, has been solid for the Cowboys this year. He’s 14-18 on field-goal attempts, but two of his four misses came from 50-plus yards out. He’s also converted on 21 of his 23 point-after attempts, and against the Chargers, Zuerlein kicked a game-winning field goal.