Latest news with #TyronSmith
New York Times
2 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
Cowboys need more from Tyler Guyton, and he's making significant changes to improve
It's hard to find answers to questions about the Dallas Cowboys on the field of OTA practices. Contact is nonexistent and players are just getting back into the groove of team activities after months away from the building. One of the biggest questions this season for the Cowboys will be how well Tyler Guyton can rebound from a tough rookie season. For nearly a decade, left tackle was the least of anybody's worries, as Tyron Smith anchored the spot at an All-Pro level. Toward the end of Smith's time in Dallas, injuries started to become a bigger factor. After working through it for a few years, the Cowboys let Smith walk in free agency last year. Advertisement A month later, they drafted Guyton in the first round to become the left tackle of the present and the future. Things went off-kilter from the start. The Cowboys eased Guyton into the starting unit in training camp. Once Guyton assumed the starting role in camp, he was sidelined for a while due to injury. All of that happened before the season even began and the actual trials and tribulations for a rookie offensive lineman in the NFL kicked into high gear. 'Of course, there are going to be ebbs and flows,' Guyton said of last year's errors. 'I understand that it already happened. It's in the past and I'm going to move forward from it and learn from my mistakes.' The rookie mistakes came in different forms. Guyton struggled on the field as he tried to grasp NFL speed while also handling a position change, going from right tackle in college to left tackle in the pros. The external pressure didn't do him many favors, either. Taking over for an elite player like Smith, who not only possessed a large frame like Guyton but also underwent the same position change when he entered the league, was not an easy task. In addition to Guyton's struggles against defensive players, he also had an issue with discipline. Guyton finished the season tied for the second-most penalized player in the NFL with 14 penalties. Five of those infractions were false starts, and another five were holdings. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer went out of his way to praise the work Guyton has done since the end of his rookie season a few months ago. Schottenheimer said Guyton was one of the first players back in the building and expects consistency and stability could help the second-year player out of Oklahoma. 'I think some of the new things that (offensive coordinator) Klayton Adams and (offensive line coach) Conor Riley have brought from a fundamental standpoint really fits him,' Schottenheimer said. 'He hasn't played offensive line a whole lot, then he played right tackle at Oklahoma. Then, we moved him to left tackle. It's obviously a premier position. Then, you miss quite a bit of time last year in training camp. 'He has not missed a day. He was one of the first guys back in the building. … He understands how important this year is for him, not just for him, but for our football team. He looks great and he's playing at a high level right now, going up against some good speed rushers.' All of the praise comes with an obvious disclaimer: there is no contact at practices right now, unlike the intense practices in training camp. Those training camp practices will differ greatly from the full-speed competition on Sundays. Guyton isn't just working harder, but he's also taken steps to work smarter. His physique and build are noticeably different than last year. He appears leaner, still carrying muscle in his frame but shedding some of the excess weight. That appearance is not by accident. Advertisement 'I think that I figured out a lot about what I need to do to take care of my body, to be able to play at a high level,' Guyton said. That revelation didn't come on the field or even in the weight room. 'I changed my diet completely around,' Guyton said. 'Fast foods are out. Fried foods are out. I just try to stick to a strict regimen of vegetables and salmon throughout the week of prep. It's definitely changed a lot, actually.' Guyton said the change in diet wasn't difficult for him, and there are too many things he misses from his previous habits of consumption, like from the Caniac Combo from Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers. The results he's seen have made things easier. 'It's easy when you feel better,' Guyton said. 'I feel like my body is more pure right now. I can move more freely, my joints feel better. It's been a great transition.' Guyton described his body as a constant work in progress. He still aims to become faster and stronger, while also adding more flexibility to his toolbox. Many of the external pressures Guyton faced last year are still there, but their presence has faded in intensity. The upcoming season is no longer about following in Smith's footsteps or dealing with a position change, even if those elements will always be part of Guyton's story. For Guyton, it's now about being a good player in his own right, and certainly better than what he showed in 2024.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys Tyler Booker In Prime Position For O-Line Superstardom
The Dallas Cowboys fortified its offensive line by drafting Alabama Crimson Tide offensive guard Tyler Booker with the No. 12 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Booker fills an immediate need at right guard after future Hall of Fame inductee Zack Martin retired earlier in the offseason. And the positive vibes continue as according to analyst Marc Ross, Booker is one of the 10 rookies in the best position to succeed. Advertisement "The Cowboys have a history of finding elite offensive linemen in the draft, including eight-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith (2011), nine-time Pro Bowler Zack Martin (2014) and two-time Pro Bowler Tyler Smith (2022)," Ross wrote. "Now they have added a pro-ready guard in Booker. He's a tough, nasty and technical building block for Dallas' front. The Cowboys offense is at its best when the big boys in the trenches are controlling the line of scrimmage. Booker can help it return to being a prolific unit in the run and pass games." The new look offensive line for the Cowboys will be young and powerful, no doubt. The starting unit will likely feature Tyler Guyton at left tackle, All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe at center, Booker at right guard, and Terrence Steele at right tackle. Advertisement Really, the maturation of second-year first-round pick Guyton is the biggest looming question mark. At the start of the 2025 season, Dallas will have four starting offensive lineman under the age of 25, with Terrence Steele being the 'elder statesman' at the current age of 27. Is there such a thing as an "O-line superstar''? Dallas can argue that Martin and another recent retiree Tyron Smith qualify. Those are monster-sized cleats to fill. So, for now? Booker will serve as yet another valuable investment in the backbone of every offense and Cowboys Nation certainly hopes he will not disappoint. Related: Cowboys Open NFL Schedule With 2 NFC East Games Before Chiefs Thanksgiving Visit
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys Make Official $21 Million Decision on 2-Time Pro Bowler
This offseason's retirements of legendary Dallas Cowboys linemen Zack Martin and Tyron Smith officially signal a passing of the torch to the next generation along the offensive line. That next generation is led by guard Tyler Smith. It is now officially his turn to lead the way with his immediate future solidified. Advertisement The Cowboys on Monday confirming the plan to pick up Smith's fifth-year option to keep him in Dallas through the 2026 season at a projected price tag of $21.27 million. And on Thursday - in conjunction with Dallas making another move on a gigantic guard named Tyler (Booker, the Cowboys first-round pick in the NFL Draft), that paperwork is done. A team source tells Mike Fisher that it's 'one of our easiest (decisions) ever.' For players drafted in 2022 like Smith, teams across the league have until May 1 to decide on picking up a player's fifth-year option. Smith, coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances and a Second Team All-Pro selection, has done plenty to warrant an extra year. Advertisement Smith will play the 2025 season, his fourth in the NFL, at a $2.5 million base salary, but will receive a fully-guaranteed sum in 2026. Once exercised, however, the fifth-year option does not stop teams from potentially agreeing on a more long-term extension - which in Dallas' case with Smith, should be the priority sometime next season. Since being the Cowboys' first-round pick in 2022, Smith has seen action at tackle and guard, but settled into the left guard position, opposite of Zack Martin for the last few seasons. He has been extremely durable in the process, making 47 total starts. At Tyron Smith's ceremonial press conference last week, the future Ring of Honor inductee gave Cowboys fans his thoughts on the state of the O-line moving forward. He emphasized his confidence in the returning players knowing what is required to be successful and that they are already working on putting in the work to get there. Tyron pointed out Tyler in particular, saying he has what it takes to become the next great lineman in this franchise's rich history. Advertisement "I feel like Tyler came in and set the standard that he wants to be great when he first got here and he has just increased in potential every work ethic and what he puts into this game... he has potential to be one of the greats and I just can't wait to see that show." Tyler Smith has already proven he is a foundational piece to the future of the Dallas Cowboys. Owner Jerry Jones has recognized that, and is initiating the first steps in making sure Smith turns into the all-time great so many believe he can be. Related: Cowboys Top Draft Pick Tyler Booker Lashes Out At Critics Related: 'It's Not Over Yet!' Cowboys Declare Before Draft and New Trade Deadline
USA Today
16-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Have the Cowboys had any player good enough to be on the All-2000s team? PFF says no
Have the Cowboys had any player good enough to be on the All-2000s team? PFF says no PFF's latest rankings reveal just how far the Cowboys have fallen from the NFL's elite over the past three decades. It's the question that's haunted Cowboys fans for a generation: Why hasn't America's Team been back to the Super Bowl in nearly three decades? For a franchise that dominated the 1990s and became synonymous with star power, the drought has stretched on painfully, and the latest reminder came from Pro Football Focus, of all places. PFF's Jonathon Macri recently released an All-25 Team, highlighting the best players of the past quarter-century as the 2025 season approaches. For Dallas, the only representation was recently retired right guard Zack Martin, and even he didn't make the starting lineup. Martin earned an honorable mention behind Marshal Yanda, the former Ravens All-Pro lineman. That's right. No DeMarcus Ware. No Tyron Smith. No Jason Witten. It's not that the Cowboys haven't had stars. Since the beginning of PFF's grading era in 2006, Dallas has consistently fielded elite talent. Ware was a sack machine and the face of the defense for years. Witten was as steady as they come at tight end. Tyron Smith, when healthy, was among the most dominant left tackles of his time. And Martin was nothing short of a technician in the trenches. But that's the thing, the Cowboys have been built on individual brilliance, while the teams winning titles have been built on balance, timing, and adaptability. Front office inconsistency. Untimely coaching changes. Injuries. Quarterback injuries. And let's be honest, a fair share of bad luck. It's all added up to a generation of "what ifs" in Dallas. Players come and go, accolades pile up, and still the ultimate prize stays out of reach. Martin's quiet placement on the PFF list doesn't just reflect his own greatness, it underlines a pattern. The Cowboys have had top-tier players. What they haven't had is a top-tier team at the right time. Thirty years in the making, the drought continues and until the Cowboys figure out how to turn elite names into elite results when it matters most, lists like this will keep serving as a mirror, and a reminder. Follow Rams Wire on X and Facebook for more coverage!
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Longtime Cowboys great OT Tyron Smith reportedly retiring after 14 seasons in the NFL, 8 Pro Bowls
Longtime great Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith is retiring from football, NFL Network reports. Smith will sign a one-day contract to retire as a Cowboy after playing a single season with the New York Jets in 2024, according to the report. Smith played 14 seasons in the NFL, 13 of them with the Cowboys. He made eight Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro five times. He'll retire in the same offseason as fellow Cowboys great Zack Martin, who played 11 seasons as a guard with in Dallas while making nine Pro Bowls and nine All-Pro teams. Smith joined the Cowboys as the No. 9 pick of the 2011 NFL Draft out of USC. He switched from right tackle to left tackle after his rookie season and anchored a Cowboys offensive line that was frequently one of the best in football for the next 12 seasons. Smith provided blindside protection for both Tony Romo and Dak Prescott during his tenure. Smith made the first of his eight Pro Bowls in 2013, a run that included seven straight. He was named first-team All-Pro twice and second-team All-Pro three times, as recently as 2023. Smith signed with the Jets last offseason to play left tackle and protect Aaron Rodgers' blindside. A neck injury limited Smith to 10 games in 2024. He injured his neck in Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals, which turned out to be his last game in the NFL. He finished the season on injured reserve. Now he returns for an honorary contract with the Cowboys before officially calling it a career.
