Somewhere in Oxnard, a left tackle drafted 29th overall walked onto a practice field knowing the guy lined up next to him, picked 233rd, wants his job. Not in some distant future. Right now. Brian Schottenheimer made it official: Tyler Guyton and Nate Thomas will compete for the starting left tackle spot in 2026. No courtesy starter tag. No draft-pedigree protection. Two years into a first-round investment, Dallas just told its blindside protector that his résumé means nothing without results. The man standing behind Dak Prescott’s blind spot could be either one of them.
The Investment That Hasn’t Paid Off
Sep 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (60) drops back to block the rush of Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Dallas spent a first-round pick on Guyton to replace a franchise icon in Tyron Smith. That kind of draft capital comes with expectations: start immediately, improve fast, anchor the position for a decade. Instead, Guyton’s first two seasons produced 25 games, 21 starts, and a 2025 PFF overall grade of 57.5. His pass-blocking grade sat at 50.0, ranking him 81st out of 89 qualified tackles. The Cowboys also locked up left guard Tyler Smith with a four-year extension worth up to $96 million, betting heavily on their trench identity. One pillar of that trench remains shaky.
A Knee, a Scare, and a Lost Season
Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (60) prepares to enter the field prior to the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images
The assumption that Guyton’s job was safe started cracking in 2025 training camp. A right-knee injury in Oxnard initially looked like a torn ACL. Tests revealed a bone fracture instead, and the organization exhaled. “Good news,” they called it. Guyton played significant snaps that season and still finished on injured reserve. The good news produced the same outcome the bad news would have: a left tackle who couldn’t stay on the field. That forced Tyler Smith, an All-Pro guard, to kick out to left tackle just to finish the year.
29th Overall Meets 233rd Overall
Oct 7, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners offensive lineman Tyler Guyton (60) reacts during the game against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Schottenheimer said it plainly: “Tyler Guyton’s got a chance to be an elite player, but he’s got to take that next step.” The word “chance” is doing heavy lifting there. Because the man challenging him, Nate Thomas, was a seventh-rounder out of Louisiana with an extensive pre-draft injury history. Teams flagged him as a medical risk. Dallas took him at 233rd. Thomas started twice at left tackle. The Cowboys won both games. Two starts. Two wins. Small sample. But coaches remember small samples when the alternative allowed 31 pressures in a single season.
The Hidden Machine Behind the Competition
Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (60) blocks at the line of scrimmage against Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig (51) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
This competition looks like a coaching decision. It’s actually a system collapsing under its own logic. NFL front offices protect first-round picks because admitting a miss costs reputations, jobs, future draft leverage. But the free-agent tackle market offered slim pickings, and Guyton’s 31 pressures, 2 sacks, 6 quarterback hits, and 7 penalties made the math impossible to ignore. Dallas drafted Penn State tackle Drew Shelton at 112th overall in 2026 as more developmental depth. They’re hoarding tackles now because the one they drafted to be the answer hasn’t been.
The Numbers That Buried the Narrative
Sep 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (60) and quarterback Dak Prescott (4) celebrate a touchdown in front of Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Guyton’s rookie year produced a PFF grade in the high 40s across 15 games and 11 starts. His second year: 57.5 overall, 81st of 89 tackles in pass protection. Improvement, technically. Still bottom quartile. He cut his penalties from 14 for 100 yards to 7 for 49, which counts as progress until you realize he ranked 81st in pass protection among the same group. Meanwhile, Thomas has appeared in 17 games with 4 starts and carries Day-2-caliber athletic traits that scouts noticed before his medical file scared them off. Both tackles, however, posted bottom-tier 2025 grades, so the margin for error in this competition is thin.
Dak’s Window and the Domino Effect
Jan 30, 2024; Mobile, AL, USA; American offensive lineman Tyler Guyton of Oklahoma (60) gets set on the line during practice for the American team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Every training-camp rep at left tackle now carries weight beyond individual evaluation. If Guyton loses this job, Dallas faces the awkward reality of a recent first-rounder riding the bench while a seventh-rounder protects a franchise quarterback. That ripples into future draft strategy, fifth-year option decisions, and how the league values volatile young tackles. Sports Illustrated reported that the Cowboys would not hesitate to replace a struggling starter during the season. That warning extends beyond Guyton. Terence Steele at right tackle faces similar scrutiny, and the entire depth chart feels provisional.
A New Rule, Not an Exception
Sep 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (60) blocks Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
This isn’t a quirky offseason storyline. It’s a precedent. If Guyton gets benched for a seventh-rounder, every front office with a shaky first-round lineman will take notice. The old assumption, that draft pedigree buys you three or four years of job security, dies the moment Thomas takes a first-team snap in September. Guyton himself seems to understand. “I just have to come to work every day and compete,” he said. That’s the language of a man who knows his draft slot stopped being a shield. Once a franchise admits the hierarchy can flatten this fast, it never unfolds the same way again.
What Happens If Neither Answer Holds
Nov 24, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (60) hands his glove to a young fan while leaving the field after the Cowboys’ game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The scarier scenario is neither tackle locking it down. If blindside protection stays shaky early in the season, Dallas could reshuffle Tyler Smith to tackle again, burning their best guard to patch a hole that was supposed to be filled two drafts ago. A midseason trade for a veteran tackle would cost draft capital the team already spent on a defensive reset. The options narrow fast. Thomas told reporters, “We were 2-0 in my first two starts at left tackle, so I know I can do it.” Confidence from a seventh-rounder. Silence from the depth chart.
The Only Currency Left
Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton (60) is pictured at OU media day in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.
Tyron Smith said he expects Guyton to have a “different type of year.” Maybe. But the Cowboys aren’t waiting on potential anymore. They’ve stacked the depth chart with Shelton, kept Thomas ready, and told reporters that both tackle spots carry question marks. The real story most fans will miss: this competition reveals whether Dallas can abandon sunk-cost loyalty fast enough to protect Dak Prescott during a championship window that won’t stay open forever. Draft night called Guyton a franchise cornerstone. Training camp will decide if he’s even the starter. So who gets the Week 1 start at left tackle, the first-rounder or the seventh-rounder? Make your call in the comments.
