TYRON SMITH

Position: Offensive left tackle

Size: 6-5, 320

Age when season starts: 25

College: Southern California

Drafted: First round, 9th pick, 2011 (Dallas)

Experience: Entering sixth season

Contract status: Smith signed an eight-year extension worth $97 million in 2014 that runs through 2023.

Last season

Dallas Cowboys tackle Tyron Smith (77) and guard Ronald Leary (65) run a drill carrying medicine balls during morning practice at training camp on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015, in Oxnard, Calif. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News) (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

Named to the Pro Bowl roster for the third consecutive season. Started all 16 games of the season for the fourth time in his five seasons. He's missed only one game in his career, to an ankle injury in 2012. Dallas allowed 33 sacks last season despite a revolving rotation at quarterback because of Tony Romo's injuries. Smith committed eight penalties that were enforced in 2015.

This season's outlook

Dallas Cowboys tackle Tyron Smith (77) is pictured on the bench during the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Dallas Cowboys NFL football season opener at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Sunday, September 7, 2014. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News) (Louis DeLuca / Staff Photographer)

Smith should continue to be the building block Dallas planned on when it drafted him in 2011 and added two more first-round picks to the offensive line -- Travis Frederick (2013) and Zack Martin (2014) -- over the next three years.

Smith said he has been focused on refining his technique in the offseason.

"For me, it's just more technique as much as possible," he said, "because when all else fails, technique is what you rely on."

Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan told the NFL Network of Smith: "Once he gets those hands on you, you just might as well go back to the huddle because you're probably not getting near the quarterback. He's just got cinder blocks for hands."

The addition of running back Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick of the draft allows the line to block for another elite back after DeMarco Murray rushed for an NFL-best 1,845 in 2014 and Darren McFadden rushed for 1,089 yards in 2015.

Twitter: @khairopoulos