It’s no secret among those who have been observing and weighing how the current Dallas Cowboys roster stacks up that one of the potential weak spots on the offensive side of the ball–perhaps the only weak spot on that side–is at left tackle, where Tyler Guyton has been wobbly, at best, in his two seasons in the league has struggled with injuries and inconsistency, with one perhaps feeding into the other, but while the Cowboys might be inclined to be patient with Guyton, there is only so much leeway the team can give at a premium position where the starter pretty much plays every down.
Guyton, of course, was the team’s first-round pick in 2024 and was expected to take over at left tackle for the foreseeable future with the departure of fixture Tyron Smith. After an underwhelming rookie year, Guyton was said to be having a very good offseason in 2025 before he suffered a knee injury that kept him out of training camp. He played 10 games, but was later shut down because of a high ankle sprain.
While he was out the team moved All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith out to left tackle to end the season, and coach Brian Schottenheimer, very pointedly, said that the team would weigh keeping Smith outside going forward, putting Guyton’s job squarely in jeopardy.
Tyler Guyton Will Have to ‘Earn It’
But clearly, the ideal scenario for the Cowboys is to have Guyton at tackle and Smith back at guard. Schottenheimer, speaking to reporters at the team’s OTA on Thursday, made clear that if Guyton wants the job, he is going to have to win it.
“We’re going to make Tyler earn it,” Schottenheimer said.
Even if Guyton does not earnt he starting left tackle role, there are other options before it comes to Smith moving out from guard, which is being viewed as an emergency option.
Cowboys Setting Up Nate Thomas-Tyler Guyton Competition
Veteran Cowboys reporter Clarence Hill wrote on Twitter/X on Thursday: “Tyler Guyton and Nate Thomas are competing to start at left tackle, per Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer. … Moving Tyler Smith to left tackle is not off the table The Cowboys want to keep him at guard But if Guyton and Thomas are not up to snuff then the Cowboys could still turn to Tyler Smith, per source.”
Thomas, a seventh-round pick in 2024, struggled at times in four starts last year, but is a 330-pounder who will have a shot at the role after Guyton. Drew Shelton, a rookie fourth-rounder, is a longshot in contention, too.
GettyDallas Cowboys left offensive tackle Tyler Guyton.
Cowboys Will Have Some Patience
Something that has been less discussed but should at least be kept in view as a Cowboys possibility is a move of Guyton to right tackle, which he played in college at Oklahoma. He could potentially move to take Terence Steele’s spot.
Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams discussed that during the February draft combine, but added that the team is not giving up on Guyton at left tackle.
“The most important thing for a young player, specifically talking about Tyler Guyton, is you’ve got to get out there and you’ve got to play,” Adams said. “That’s the part I know that he’s been the most frustrated with, is he plays really well in training camp, and then he got dinged up, and then he starts coming back really without having much of a training camp, and then gets dinged again. So he’s just been a little bit unlucky in that way.
“Once you can get a guy through that first 20 to 25 starts, you can really start seeing those guys kind of self-reflecting and kind of modernizing their game on their own a little bit, which is always fun to see.”
Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer Delivers Blunt Challenge to Struggling Starter