Tyron Smith is back. What that means for Cowboys’ O-line, as always, depends on his health

OXNARD, Calif. — Go back six months and ask yourself this question.

Who was more likely to be a fixture in the offensive line during the offseason program and the first 10 days of training camp, Zack Martin or Tyron Smith?

Take Martin’s holdout — with fines now at $500,000 and counting — out of the equation. There was no assurance Smith would even be on the roster. The veteran found himself at the same financial crossroads with the Cowboys as Ezekiel Elliott. Given his contract and recent injury history …

Well, it was far from a given that Smith would return for his 13th season. Not only is he back, he’s returned to left tackle after a problematic stint on the right side to end last season.

“I’m back comfortable,’’ Smith said. “Been playing left for a long time and just back to my normal self, knocking the rust off right now.’’

Smith would have been knocking the rust off with another team if he hadn’t been receptive to a pay cut. The 32-year-old offensive lineman was willing to take his base salary from $13.6 to $6 million this season to stay with the franchise that drafted him back in 2011.

“My guys here on the team are family,’’ Smith said. “I want to do whatever it takes to stay here.

“I know we can run it all the way here.’’

It’s been difficult for Mike McCarthy and his coaching staff to wrap their arms around Smith’s impact at this stage. When he’s on the field, he’s still among the league’s best tackles. Not the dominant, eight-time Pro Bowler he was to begin his career, but better than most.

The problem is, Smith hasn’t played a full season in eight years. He’s missed 33 of the 50 regular-season games that McCarthy has been Cowboys head coach.

It’s been impossible to write Smith’s name in as the starting left tackle and move on. Contingency plans must be in place.

Teams rarely pay close to $14 million a year for a player who requires a contingency plan.

That’s why Smith was willing to take a pay cut. When he did, it became worth it for the Cowboys to keep him, put him back at left tackle and bump Tyler Smith — who was strong at left tackle in Tyron’s Smith absence last season — inside to left guard.

Snake-bitten with injuries? Tyron Smith refuses to think that way.

Why?

“Waste of my energy,’’ he said.

Tyron Smith calls the avulsion fracture in his knee that robbed him of the first 13 games of last season a freak injury. He’s been conscientious about his health and the work needed to keep him going at this stage of his career.

It just hasn’t worked out.

“You know, I’m concentrating on staying on the small things and getting the work I need, getting the work after practice to stay on track with my health and fitness,’’ Tyron Smith said. “You’ve got to take care of your body. As you guys [media] know as you get older, you’ve got to do some more for your body to take care of it.’’

We know.

We know.

“I haven’t changed up anything,’’ Smith said. “It’s just paying more attention to the body. If anything comes up, I’m going to communicate with the guys [training staff] instead of fighting through it.’’

It’s incumbent on the Cowboys not to give him too much work in this camp as they prepare for the season.

“Yes, we will monitor his work,’’ McCarthy said. “He’s played a lot of football. I’m well aware of how much time he’s missed, but Tyron has been in the building every single day, pretty much, since the season was over, so he’s put a tremendous amount of time in addressing some of the challenges he had last year.’’

Martin and Terence Steele developed a strong, two-man game on the right side last season. The Cowboys are intrigued with what the Smiths can do on the left side.

“Me and Tyler got to get our own thing rolling on our side,’’ Tyron Smith said. “The more we work, the more comfortable we’ll get with each other, but we’re getting there.

“The work is going to speak for itself.’’

And if Tyron Smith gets hurt again? The Cowboys will bump Tyler Smith out to left tackle and proceed. McCarthy has grown accustomed to that scenario.

He hopes it will be different this season.

So does Tyron Smith.

Catch David Moore on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) with the Musers at 9:35 every morning and the Hardline several times a week at 4:10 p.m. during Cowboys training camp.

Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN

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