Brian Schottenheimer: We have "great confidence" in T.J. Bass replacing Tyler Smith

Published September 8, 2026 08:36 AM The Cowboys showed how much they valued T.J. Bass as a reserve offensive lineman by using a second-round restricted free agent tender to hold onto him this offseason and Bass will get an immediate chance to show the wisdom of that decision. Bass will step in as the team’s left guard while Tyler Smith is out of action due to thumb surgery. Smith is expected to miss 4-6 weeks as a result of the procedure and head coach Brian Schottenheimer said on Monday that the team is not expecting a major drop in play with Bass in the lineup. “Tyler Smith’s a great player, but we feel really confident in T.J., and he’s put great film on here,” Schottenheimer said, via the team’s website. “He’s played next to Cooper Beebe, he’s played next to [Tyler] Guyton, so that’s nothing new, the communication and all that stuff. . . . We tendered him the way we tendered him because we trust this guy as a football player. He’s a damn good football player that unfortunately is just playing behind a lot of really, really good players. So we have great confidence in T.J.”Bass has started 10 games over the last three seasons and he’ll have a chance to show he’s ready for a full-time role in the starting lineup for Dallas or someone else in the coming weeks.