The Dallas Cowboys needed to make a move to reinforce their offensive line following the injury to Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith . On Wednesday, they officially moved their $96 million man to the IR list, and signed veteran interior lineman Nick Leverett off their practice squad to the active roster.
Leverett's promotion comes after Smith's thumb injury that required surgery and is expected to sideline him for 4-to-6 weeks. Smith's absence creates a significant hole along the offensive line that hoped to enter the 2026 season with some much needed continuity.
While Leverett is now on the active roster, the Cowboys are not asking him to immediately replace Smith in the starting lineup. T.J. Bass is expected to take over at left guard , giving Dallas a player with 10 career starts and considerable familiarity with the offense.
Leverett entered the league with Tampa Bay as a 2020 undrafted free agent out of Rice University. He wouldn't get on the field until 2021 and stayed with the Buccaneers through the 2023 season. He started 10 games and appeared in 16 contests in his time in Tampa.
In 2024, Leverett split time with both New England and Arizona , coincidentally crossing paths with Cowboys offensive coordinator Clayton Adams, who was the Cardinals offensive line coach.
Dallas signed him to a future/reeserves contract on January 6, 2026 yet after a solid training camp, he was released on final cutdown day by the Cowboys. He was later signed to the teams' practice squad and now finds himself on the active roster.
In a corresponding move, Dallas has signed 11-year veteran Laken Tomlinson to the practice squad. Leverett's promotion opened a roster spot making room for the 2015 first-round pick.
Tomlinson was drafted 28th overall back in 2015 by the Detroit Lions and spent two seasons with them starting 24 games. The Lions changed directions and traded him to San Francisco where he played five season in the Bay Area starting all 80 games he was available and earned a Pro Bowl trip in 2020.
Tomlinson then spent two seasons in New York stating all 17 games with the Jets in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Last year, Tomlinson started seven games and appeared on 10 for the Houston Texans .
Tomlinson did not attend any teams' training camp in 2026.
While Dallas was dealt an immediate blow on their offensive line just as the season is about to begin, the front office has done an admirable and timely job of replacing a temporarily fallen star.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys make two moves to replace $96M starter, add former Lions 1st rounder
