Tyler Smith seeking clarity on position future for Cowboys’ offensive line – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
All-Pro guard Tyler Smith would like to settle where he’ll play in 2026.
In the final three games of the 2025 season, the Cowboys kicked Pro Bowl offensive guard Tyler Smith out to left tackle with injuries
at the position.
At the time, it looked like that may have just been a temporary movement for Smith, who has played left tackles at times for Dallas and played it in college at Tulsa. Now, it seems that a full-time move to left tackle could be in the cards, and Smith is hoping to get clarity as the offseason begins. That will happen Monday as he meets with head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
“Yea, I would like there to be some clarity, for sure. And I’ll get that, we’re going to have those conversations when we have a conversation later today. I’ll kind of get that clarify from him and what their vision is and what they say.” Smith said.
Schottenheimer is conducting exit interviews with his players on Monday and Tuesday this week before turning to his coaching staff on Wednesday and Thursday. Smith already has an idea of what he’ll say in his meeting with the head coach.
“I do have some thoughts on my mind that I’m going to share with him, and of course I think he has some thoughts on it as well,” Smith said. “So we’ll see what comes of that conversation, but we haven’t spoken about it yet.”
How Cowboys wasted one of Dak Prescott’s best seasons – Todd Archer, ESPN
Let us count the ways the team wasted Dak Prescott’s 2025 performance
There was never a doubt Prescott would return to his role as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback for the 10th season — but he responded with one of the best seasons of his career.
For the fourth time, he threw for more than 4,000 yards and had at least 30 touchdown passes. He completed at least 60% of his passes in each of the first 15 games. He became the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards (35,989), passing Tony Romo. He is tied for the NFL lead with six 300-yard passing games. He is tied for third in multi-touchdown passing games (10).
He was named to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time.
Prescott said he felt like his game reached a higher level in 2025.
“It’s exciting knowing in Year 10 I’m playing my best, and I’m only going to get better in my mind about the way that I work and what I put into this game,” Prescott said.
But the Cowboys’ season ended with Sunday’s 34-17 loss to the New York Giants. At 7-9-1, the Cowboys missed the playoffs and wasted one of Prescott’s prime years.
“I hope to say the same next year, and that’s just what I put into this game, the way that I’ve worked,” Prescott said of his play. “Going back from being hurt last season, as early as it was, my offseason started a lot earlier, right? I think just the individual performance and plays, that was just a lot of the work that I put in the offseason. And so, honestly, I plan on going to this offseason doing the same thing, just kind of trying to stay in this groove.”
To reach Brian Schottenheimer’s 2026 playoff goal, Cowboys have crucial changes to make – Calvin Watkins, DMN
How to fix the Cowboys.
It could start with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who ran one of the worst defenses in franchise history in 2025. The Cowboys finished Eberflus’ first year on the job allowing an NFL-high 30.1 points per game and 6,409 yards, third worst in the league. The Cowboys also gave up a franchise-record 511 points.
And another change might occur with special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen, who didn’t get the best of endorsements from the No. 2 man in the organization, co-owner Stephen Jones, during a radio interview late last week on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM).
Jones praised an offense that finished seventh in the NFL with a 27.70 scoring average. Jones said the offense had an identity, unlike the defense and special teams units.
“Bottom line, we need an identity on the defensive side of the ball,” Jones said on The Fan. “I don’t think we established that this year. Whether it’s coach Eberflus or whoever it is, we have to create an identity. I think everybody would say that coach Schottenheimer has a ton of energy, he’s very authentic and has an identity. We’ve got to play to that in all three phases. I think we did in one phase this year. I don’t know that we established that in the other two phases.”
Following the team meeting, players underwent exit interviews with Schottenheimer and members of the coaching staff and front office. Schottenheimer said he’ll meet with his coaches on Wednesday and Thursday.
“These guys work their asses off all year and they got great insight and great input for us,” Schottenheimer said after losing to the Giants in the regular season finale on Sunday. “There is nothing out of bounds. They can say, ‘Hey you were the worst head coach I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ve ever been around.’ And that’s not going to hurt my feelings, it’s not. I want to know. I’m going to ask why, if they feel that way so I can fix it.”
Potential Cowboys’ defensive coordinator search gets more intriguing before it even begins – Mauricio Rodriguez. A to Z Sports
More names added to potential defensive coordinator search.
In fact, it’s exactly this fast-moving coaching cycle that makes the Cowboys’ potential search for a new DC more intriguing before it even begins.
NFL’s Black Monday opens up several scenarios for the Cowboys:
Cardinals fire HC Jonathan Gannon: Despite Gannon’s struggles as head coach, his defenses are respected around the league, thanks to a heavy dose of deception and versatility. Gannon helped the Eagles become Super Bowl contenders as DC, and his hybrid formations could help the Cowboys modernize their defense.
Falcons fire HC Raheem Morris: Similar to Gannon, Morris couldn’t make it work as HC. But he’s a Super Bowl-winning DC, and he’s known for his player development. His coaching background is very diverse, and his defense in Atlanta vastly improved from Year 1 to Year 2 despite the team’s issues that led to his firing.
Browns fire HC Kevin Stefanski, freeing DC Jim Schwartz: With Stefanski out in Cleveland, the Cowboys could target Schwartz for their DC job. He’s one of the best defensive minds in football, and he’ll be highly coveted after leading a top-of-the-line Browns defense.
All of the names above are probably already getting phone calls. Thoroughness is fine, but not at the expense of missing out on solid opportunities. The clock is ticking for the Cowboys.
