Dallas had a severe left tackle shortage after legendary player Tyron Smith left in the offseason. The front management selected Tyler Guyton, a former Oklahoma Sooner, to meet that need because it was their top priority when the draft came around.
I must admit that I was among the fans who criticized this move. Speculation about Guyton’s NFL readiness quickly gained traction. But as soon as we saw him in action, those worries instantly subsided. Guyton’s work ethic was clear the moment he joined the Cowboys, and he had an outstanding training camp and preseason.
Everything has an overtone of the Tyler Smith predicament. uproar from fans after a pick was selected saying “he is too raw,” and after a strong rookie year that propelled him to the NFL’s elite levels. Is Guyton’s preseason performance getting too much of a head start, or can he have comparable success in his debut season? Let’s discuss the highs, lows, and bottom line of this upcoming season for these native Texans.
Tyler Guyton: The Ceiling for a Rookie Season As I previously mentioned, the excitement surrounding Guyton has been building for several weeks, and it was simple to understand why when you watched a Cowboys preseason game.
The fan base became enthused as the player demonstrated his immense power on the offensive line. Guyton was among the league’s top offensive linemen based on his preseason play.
All the traits from the Oklahoma days popped up, like athleticism, strength, and freak size, but man did we see a turnaround in what were the college negatives for him. He was much more polished and made fewer mistakes across the board.
It was an impressive showing, and it wasn’t too surprising given just how hard Tyler Guyton has been grinding since being drafted.
His work ethic is unmatched, and when we project that and his preseason performance to this rookie season, it is hard not to dream of a rookie-season Pro Bowl ceiling.
After all, there is no staff in the league that develops young, raw offensive linemen better than Dallas, and it seems their magic has already started working on Guyton. If things continue this way, there is no telling how strong his 2024 campaign might be.
Tyler Guyton: Risk Of College Performance
Now, for all the excitement, it is still important to maintain some realistic expectations of Guyton. As somebody that watched a hefty amount of his college tape, there were and still are some real concerns about his current preparedness at the NFL level.
He exhibited some major technical flaws, running game problems, and had very little on-field experience.
The reason Guyton was drafted where he was is because of the flashes on tape and projection, not the overall picture of his ability during college, that was not there yet.
What concerns me about him is the jump from an inexperienced, raw college tackle, to a starting left tackle in the NFL that is protecting the blindside of Dak Prescott against elite pass rushers. That is a mountain-sized leap from where he was a year ago.
Is he ready for that jump? Nobody can be 100% ready for it, but how close he gets to being fully prepared will determine the outcome of his season.
Things could still be hard on Tyler Guyton in his rookie year, and fans should not panic about that.
Tyler Guyton’s Bottom Line
Here is the bottom line for Guyton: He looks fantastic, he has all the tools to be fantastic, and he will probably get there even if he faces some rough moments in 2024.
It is fair to say that the Cowboys have a reactionary fanbase, and a “wait and see” front office and coaching staff. This could make for a bad concoction this year if Guyton has some struggles.
Fans outraged over a multiple-penalty game or two in a row, and the organization shouting back that everything is fine.
The reality there, is that the organization will be right. He will have ups and downs.
Guyton is a special project that some of the best offensive line developers in the league have in the palm of their hands. They are not going to let his talents go to waste, and it seems that they have already made massive strides in his game.
This season likely won’t see him reach his rookie-year ceiling or floor. Rather, we’ll see some fantastic moments, and some rookie ones, and that is okay.
Tyler Guyton is going to be the Cowboys left tackle for quite some time. This is just the beginning, so let’s not get too crazy one way or the other at this point.
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