How Does Tyron Smith's Injury Impact Ezekiel Elliott?
With Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith expected to miss extended time – and potentially the entire 2022 season – due to an avulsion fracture of his knee sustained in Wednesday’s practice, bettors should consider how his absence will impact running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Smith is an eight-time Pro Bowler and was graded as the second-best tackle in the NFL by Pro Football Focus last season.
It’s a massive loss for the Cowboys, especially with right tackle La’el Collins and center Connor Williams signing elsewhere as free agents during the offseason. Collins and Williams combined to start 24 games for Dallas in 2021.
This isn’t the first time Smith will miss significant time due to injury. He’s only suited up for 26 of 49 games over the past three seasons, including just twice during the 2020 campaign.
As a result, we have a large sample of how Elliott has fared without Smith in the lineup.
Ezekiel Elliott With Tyron Smith
| Season | Games | Rushing Attempts | Rushing Yards | Yards per Carry |
| 2019 | 13 | 243 | 1,068 | 4.40 |
| 2020 | 2 | 34 | 150 | 4.41 |
| 2021 | 11 | 161 | 702 | 4.36 |
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Ezekiel Elliott Without Tyron Smith
| Season | Games | Rushing Attempts | Rushing Yards | Yards per Carry |
| 2019 | 3 | 58 | 289 | 4.98 |
| 2020 | 14 | 210 | 829 | 3.95 |
| 2021 | 6 | 76 | 300 | 3.95 |
One important outlier from the 2019 season was that Smith didn't play in Week 17 against the Washington franchise because of a back injury, and Elliott ran for 122 yards on 18 carries (6.78 yards per tote). Out of a three-game sample, the huge performance against a 3-12 team significantly beefed up Elliott's yards-per-carry mark.
Otherwise, as you’d expect, Elliott has been a more efficient runner with Smith in the lineup.
Prospective bettors will also want to consider the potential for running back Tony Pollard to be more involved in the Dallas offense this season – both on the ground and through the air – when handicapping the Cowboys’ backfield.
Plus, Elliott enters his age-27 season with 1,650 career carries.
It was reported even before Smith’s injury that Dallas was exploring the free-agent market to upgrade the offensive line. However, finding a difference-maker this close to Week 1 is doubtful.
Ezekiel Elliott Rushing Yards Props
| Sportsbook | Over | Under |
| FanDuel | 800.5 (-112) | 800.5 (-112) |
| DraftKings | 825.5 (+100) | 825.5 (-130) |
| Caesars | 810.5 (-110) | 810.5 (-110) |
Elliott has cruised past all three of these yardage totals in each of his six seasons in the league, but it appears bookmakers are expecting a dip in his production in 2022, while also accounting for Pollard to handle more carries for the Cowboys.
It’ll be interesting to see if there is movement to Elliott’s yardage totals or odds as wagers begin to come in on the running back’s prop markets following the news of Smith's injury.
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