Tyler Guyton is the left tackle for the Dallas Cowboys. This has always been the hope since he was selected late in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, and his job security was brought into question after head coach Brian Schottenheimer announced in early June that the position was up for grabs between Guyton and Nate Thomas. For now, the decision has been made with the former Oklahoma tackle keeping the starting spot.
The left tackle position has been a little up in the air for the last couple
of months, with lingering factors creating uncertainty. Most of which stems from the availability and progress of Guyton. He’s dealt with injuries in each of his first two seasons in the league, and when he has played, he hasn’t shown enough consistency to give the coaching staff confidence that he is the long-term plan at the position.
Thomas’ name was thrown into the hat after a promising debut last season. A seventh-round pick in the same draft as Guyton, Thomas missed his entire rookie season dealing with knee tendinitis, landing him on injured reserve. He returned last year and played all 17 games, including making four starts when Guyton got hurt. He put together a decent rookie campaign, showing good things as a run blocker, but he also struggled in pass protection. He allowed 23 pressures, three sacks, and four penalties.
A promising start made this a supposed open battle to start the camp as the coaching staff initially planned to evaluate both tackles in four-day cycles. This evaluation period was short-lived as the team appears to have already made its decision. Thomas showed some nice spurts, but Schottenheimer stated that he wasn’t showing enough consistency. His ongoing struggles with pass protection have created enough separation between him and Guyton, making the choice easy for the coaching staff.
It’s not just the fading of Thomas that’s driving this decision. Guyton has looked impressive in camp. The coaches have praised him for his technical growth, and it has shown up in his performance over these first training camp practices. His footwork has looked sharp. He’s popping out quickly, setting well in his stance, and showing a lot more control and balance. He’s putting himself in good spots early and has shown nice leverage on several reps in camp.
These improvements are huge for Guyton. His dedication is noted as he returned to the weight room in early February. His hand punching and physical power have been evident as he’s been seen driving defenders back. All the signs are pointing to him finally turning a corner this season.
Guyton was selected on Day 1 because of his elite athletic traits accompanying his prototypical frame of an NFL left tackle. The potential has always been there, but he just hasn’t made the right strides in his development to be a player one can count on to protect the blindside of your franchise quarterback. But now these strides are more evident, and things are looking up for the Cowboys’ young offensive tackle.
