The Dallas Cowboys, by most counts, had a homerun draft, adding great talent at several positions on both sides of the ball. But in order for any of that talent acquisition to matter, there are a few players already on the Cowboys roster who will need to take a huge step forward from where they were last season. There are supremely talented teams in the NFC this upcoming season, most notably the hated Cowboys rival the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas cannot afford to have gaping holes in their roster if they want a chance to compete for a divisional title, and that is what they will have if these 3 key players do not improve.
Tyler Guyton – LT
There was a lot of hope surrounding Tyler Guyton when the Cowboys first drafted him last season to fill the hole left by the departure of Hall of Famer Tyron Smith. He had all the physical traits one could dream of in a starting tackle. But after a season marred by injury, too many holding penalties, and rumors of lack of commitment to the game, many in Cowboys nation have soured on the prospect of Tyler Guyton as the Cowboys left tackle of the future. The Cowboys, however, seem determined to ride with Guyton as their starter at the position as he heads into his second season, hoping that the addition of offensive coordinator and offensive line guru Klayton Adams and offensive line coach Conor Riley will help him take a huge leap in his sophomore year. Banking on Guyton’s improvement is in all likelihood the biggest gamble of the Cowboys offseason. With the selection of guard Tyler Booker in the first round of the draft this year, the Cowboys made it clear a dominant offensive line will be a key part of their offensive identity. For an offensive line to be truly dominant, all five men on it must perform. Even one man failing to do his job will get a quarterback sacked or a play blown up, no matter how good the other four. That is even more true for the player who mans the most important position on the line at left tackle, protecting the blind side of the quarterback from the league’s best pass rushers. If Guyton fails to fill that role, they do not have many other options to pivot to. They could possibly move All Pro left guard Tyler Smith out to left tackle and slot one of their depth guards into his vacated spot. But weakening one of the guard spots would destroy the Cowboys hope of having a dominant interior offensive line to counter the elite interior defensive lines possessed by other teams in their division. Further, moving All Pro players to new positions is generally a bad plan. Let them dominate where they are at their best. Removing the Tyler Smith position switch from the equation, the Cowboys do not have any other players on the roster who have proven they can provide starting caliber play at left tackle. Because of this, the hope of the entire Cowboys offensive line-and thus, the entire Dallas Cowboys season-depends entirely upon Tyler Guyton becoming a good left tackle. It is an absolute necessity for him to improve if the Cowboys have any chance at competing in the NFC East.
Mazi Smith – NT
Similar to Tyler Guyton, there was a lot of optimism surrounding the initial selection of Mazi Smith in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft due to his elite athletic tools combined with his massive size. Many believed he could be the dominant nose tackle the Cowboys have sorely lacked for years. But Smith massively struggled in his first season, struggling with several issues, most prominently getting off the ball fast enough at the snap. And again, similar to Tyler Guyton, rumors began to swirl about Smith’s dedication to the sport of football and willingness to put in the work necessary to be successful. Matters were only made worse and more confusing when it was reported the Cowboys were having Smith lose weight for a possible transition to a new spot on the defensive line, resulting in him struggling even more at the position. In his second season, Smith took a positive step forward, certainly improving on where he was in 2023, although still falling drastically short of playing up to his draft pedigree. Hopefully, the improvement can continue going into Smith’s third year, because the Cowboys desperately need a nose tackle to clog up running lanes, or else their porous run defense will never improve to a level that makes the team truly competitive. Behind Smith, the Cowboys do not have much in the way of proven depth. They have a few late round draft picks in Justin Rogers and Jay Toia who have promising traits but certainly cannot be counted on to anchor the Cowboys defensive line this coming season. If the Cowboys want to play defense well enough to win the NFC East, Mazi Smith has to become the stout interior defender the Cowboys hoped he could be when they made him a first round selection.
Jake Ferguson – TE
Of all the players on this list, Ferguson is the one I feel best about stepping up in 2025, simply because I have seen him be a dominant player before in the NFL. Last season, however, Ferguson sharply fell off, with only 494 yards on the season and no receiving touchdowns. This could be due to a number of reasons ranging from injury to the fact that he was not playing with Dak Prescott for a majority of the season. In fact, I think it is safe to say we should expect Ferguson to return to form. The main reason I included him on this list is because of the dire straits the Cowboys will find themselves in if he does not. As of the writing of this article, the Cowboys have not added a notable wide receiver to their roster yet to pair with CeeDee Lamb. They may very well still do that. But as of right now, Ferguson is the only other legitimate playmaker in the passing game the Cowboys have. If he fails to return to the level of play he had two seasons ago, stopping the Cowboys passing attack will likely be as simple as stopping CeeDee Lamb. Granted, that is not an easy task for any defense, but if they bracket enough defenders towards him eventually it will be near impossible for the Cowboys to consistently move the ball through the air.
