'You have to have it' – Tyron Smith says Cowboys LT Tyler Guyton has the one non-negotiable trait to succeed in the NFL
Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyler Guyton didn't beat around the bush when he talked to reporters during the team's offseason progress. The main takeaway? “I didn’t do too good last season, I want to do better, I want to be the guy that can be depended on," Guyton said in May. You might buy or not into […]
Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyler Guyton didn't beat around the bush when he talked to reporters during the team's offseason progress. The main takeaway?
“I didn’t do too good last season, I want to do better, I want to be the guy that can be depended on," Guyton said in May.
You might buy or not into his words but know this: Cowboys legend Tyron Smith—who is working out with Guyton this offseason—believes the young kid replacing him is being truthful about his expectations.
“Being a first rounder the way he is, he already has the expectations," Smith told Nick Harris in an exclusive interview for the Forth Worth Star-Telegram. "But you can’t lean in too much on that, you have to have it for yourself. You have to want to be the best in this league, and that has to be your mentality. As an offensive lineman, we have to have the mentality of playing in this league as long as possible.”
According to Smith, Guyton's technique is already improving, in large part thanks to the fact that the second-year lineman "wants to put in the work."
"I feel like it’s going to be a different type of year for him to slow the game down and get the rookie nerves out," Smith added. "I think he’s building more confidence in his technique because he’s learning a lot more now.”
Tyler Guyton is one of the biggest X-Factors on the 2025 Cowboys
Whether Guyton improves or not in 2025 will go a long way in determining how successful the offense is. The Cowboys' interior line is considered a strenght even after losing Zack Martin to retirement but both tackle spots are big question marks.
Guyton admittedly struggled as a rookie but he was always known to be a raw prospect coming out of the NFL Draft. The athleticism and agility to play high-level football at tackle is there but can he put it all together?
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer hired a former OL coach as offensive coordinator in Klayton Adams and added one of the best OL coaches in college football in Conor Riley.
If Dak Prescott doesn't have to worry about his blind side, going off with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens at wide receiver is certainly a strong possibility.
On the flip side, another year of struggles for Guyton would put the Cowboys in a really bad spot in the trenches.
Prescott's best football comes when he has time to get through full progression reads instead of running a bunch of quick game. Here's to hoping Smith's help is exactly what Guyton needs to make a second-year leap.
“I’ve told him before, ‘I want you to be better than how I ever did it,’” Smith said. “It makes me feel good that another guy is wanting to strive to be better than me.”
