The Dallas Cowboys recently learned that they have lost three-time Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith for at least four weeks as he is set to have thumb surgery. So, the team has since decided to add some much-needed depth and insurance at the position. According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, the Cowboys are signing former first-round guard Laken Tomlinson to their practice squad.
Tomlinson, 34, brings a ton of experience to Dallas after starting 162 games in his career. He most recently spent the 2025 season with the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens. Last season, he earned a 55.9 overall PFF grade after allowing 11 total pressures in pass protection, including three sacks and three hits allowed to opposing pass rushers.
He was only flagged once for penalties over the course of the season. Tomlinson began his professional career as the No. 28 overall pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. Then in 2017, he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, where he would go on to spend the next five years of his NFL career and earn his only Pro Bowl selection in 2021.
In 2022, Tomlinson joined the New York Jets on a three-year contract, but he never saw the end of the deal as he was released after the 2023 season. He then signed with the Seattle Seahawks in 2024 before spending time with the Texans and Ravens in 2025. A native of Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica, Tomlinson played college football at Duke, where he became a starter as a freshman and started 52 games during his collegiate career.
In 2014, he was named a consensus All-American.
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