New York Jets starting left tackle Tyron Smith enjoyed a scheduled off-day during the team’s annual Green and White scrimmage on Saturday. However, Smith did not return to practice on Monday.
While Smith’s previous absences from practice were scheduled rest days, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said that Smith’s absence on Monday was due to “tightness.”
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During his media availability following Monday’s training camp practice, Saleh said of Smith, “He is dealing with a little bit of tightness, coming off of the weekend of work. He’ll be back in practice tomorrow. We just wanted to take a little extra precaution with him.”
Asked where the tightness occurred, Saleh replied, “lower extremity.”
The Jets plan to keep Smith’s workload light to maximize his availability for game days. New York signed Smith in free agency amidst questions regarding the health of the 33-year-old tackle. Over the past four seasons, Smith has played in 30 out of 67 regular season games, and he hasn’t played a fully healthy season since 2015. Despite that, Smith has never missed a playoff game throughout his NFL career.
Smith missed four games due to three separate injuries during the 2023 season, none season-ending. Smith’s play on the field was largely unaffected, as he still earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Smith last appeared on the practice field during Friday’s practice, and the team had an off day on Sunday. When asked about his health status during the first week of training camp, the veteran tackle said, “I just gotta maintain it, stay healthy, stay in shape so I could be here for my teammates.”
When healthy, Smith is one of the best tackles in football. Entering his 14th season in the NFL, Smith is an eight-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro. Smith finished 2023 as the fourth-highest graded tackle at Pro Football Focus, committing just three penalties and allowing only one sack.
