Cowboys Waive Nick Leverett After Tyler Smith Returns

The Dallas Cowboys waived offensive lineman Nick Leverett on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, following a 24-16 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as head coach Brian Schottenheimer reviewed the team's roster and performance. The move came as All-Pro guard Tyler Smith returned from injured reserve, giving Dallas another option along the offensive line.

Leverett had appeared in all five games for Dallas during a 2-3 start to the 2026 NFL season, according to Heavy. His departure followed a period of roster adjustments after Tyler Smith underwent thumb surgery before the regular season and was expected to miss four to six weeks.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Sept. 9 that Dallas placed Smith on injured reserve and promoted Leverett from the practice squad to the active roster. The Cowboys also signed Laken Tomlinson to their practice squad at that time.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that the Cowboys were activating Tyler Smith from injured reserve to play against Tampa Bay. Smith had completed a full practice Wednesday after recovering from surgery.

The roster decision came amid broader changes planned by Schottenheimer after Dallas lost to Tampa Bay, which entered the game without a victory. The Cowboys surrendered 241 rushing yards, committed three turnovers and lost the time-of-possession battle 39:21 to 20:39, according to Dallas Sports Journal.

Dallas also continued to struggle defensively. Through five games, the Cowboys had allowed 395.4 total yards per game, the second-highest figure in the NFL behind the Detroit Lions at 404.4, according to Yahoo Sports.

Schottenheimer said the coaching staff had spent three days evaluating all three units after the defeat and would implement changes, although he declined to disclose every planned move.

"I'm not going to get into a bunch of them. Obviously, there's a competitive advantage, but there will be some roster adjustments that you guys will see. Some will be more noticeable than others, and some will be subtle as you look at it.

But it was a very beneficial weekend," Schottenheimer said. "A lot of long hours spent, a lot of long conversations, a lot of deep dives where we were looking at everything from all three units and came away with a lot of what we would say really good solutions and ideas that now it's about implementing. And that began today."

The coach also confirmed that the addition of senior defensive assistant Mike Pettine had been under discussion for an extended period. Pettine was hired Monday to support defensive coordinator Christian Parker as Dallas sought to address its defensive shortcomings.

"Yeah, I mean, this is something, like I said, this specific thing is something we've been talking about for a long time. I think there's a lot of solutions that we've come up with this weekend, long three days, which is what you should do when you're not playing or coaching to the standard that you expect," Schottenheimer said.

Dallas will next visit the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Oct. 18, at Lambeau Field, with kickoff scheduled for 7:20 p.m. Central time on NBC. The Cowboys are then scheduled to face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7 on Monday Night Football.