FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys left guard Tyler Smith suffered a full tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot in Saturday night's win against the Detroit Lions, but there is a chance he could play in the regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders next week, according to a source.
Smith suffered the injury in the third quarter and immediately grabbed for his foot. He was able to walk to the medical tent without assistance but did not return to the game. He remained on the sidelines for the rest of the game. An MRI on Sunday confirmed the full tear.
After the game, Smith said he felt he could have returned to the game because he had not lost strength. A partial tear is sometimes considered worse than a full tear and can keep a player out for a few weeks.
Smith was replaced by undrafted rookie T.J. Bass.
If Smith can't play, Bass would start, but the Cowboys have also dealt with injuries to left tackle Tyron Smith (back) and right guard Zack Martin (quadriceps) over the past few weeks. Smith, a first-round pick in 2022, missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring strain but has been perhaps the Cowboys' best offensive lineman this season.
The Cowboys will enter the final week of the season with a chance to win the NFC East. They need to beat Washington in the season finale, while the Philadelphia Eagles lose one of their last two games. If that happens, the Cowboys would host at least one playoff game at AT&T Stadium, and they would have an outside shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC.