FRISCO, Texas -- Left tackle Tyron Smith will not play this weekend for the playoff-bound Dallas Cowboys after aggravating an MCL sprain, but coach Jason Garrett said Tuesday that the injury is not believed to be serious.
Smith aggravated an MCL injury he had been dealing with for a few weeks in the second half of Monday's win against the Detroit Lions and did not return. He had his brace removed and spent the rest of the game watching with an ice pack on his knee.
"It doesn't look like a severe injury at this point," Garrett said.
With the Cowboys earning a first-round bye, Smith will have two weeks to heal up for the divisional round of the playoffs. He missed two games earlier in the season with a bulging disk in his back. And he has been limited in practices during the week for most of the season.
Garrett said he was not sure if Smith, who last week was selected the Pro Bowl for the fourth time, would have been able to play this week if the Cowboys' regular-season finale were a must-win game or a playoff tilt.
Emmett Cleary replaced Smith against the Lions and could be called in to start against the Eagles, however, there could be other possible moves to compensate for Smith's absence.
Garrett said the coaching staff had preliminary talks about their lineup plans for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, but most of the focus was on the practice schedules. Defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence (back) and Tyrone Crawford (shoulder, hamstring) did not play against the Lions. Defensive tackle Terrell McClain suffered an ankle injury against the Lions in the first half and did not return; Garrett said he would not practice on Wednesday. Defensive end Ryan Davis suffered a knee injury that Garrett said is a little more severe and could force the Cowboys into a roster move.
Cornerback Anthony Brown suffered a concussion in the first half of Monday's game and did not return, but Garrett said he appeared to be doing fine on Tuesday. Cornerback Morris Claiborne, who has missed the past eight games with a groin injury, is not expected to practice this week.
"Our focus is on everybody who's healthy practicing and planning on playing in this ballgame," Garrett said, "and that's the approach that we've really taken all year long."