The year was 2017. The Dallas Cowboys were reigning divisional champs after coming off an impressive 13-3 season the previous year. Midway through the season the team was sitting with a 5-3 record and primed to make some noise. Unfortunately, things took a bad turn when their All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith injured his groin late in the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
What happened next is hard to revisit for Cowboys fans, so we’ll keep this flashback to a minimum. Smith missed the next two games and was backed up by faulty replacement swing tackles Chaz Green and Byron Bell.