When the Cowboys selected right tackle Tyler Guyton out of Oklahoma in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, they knew the pick came with some baggage. This wasn't just a 6-foot-3, 322-pound prospect He missed three games in each of his last two seasons.
As advertised, the Cowboys got all that and more from their struggling rookie. Guyton has already missed two games in 2024 and after Leiden He'll likely miss even more time on Thanksgiving Day.
Various bumps and bruises have sent the Cowboys left tackle off the field and onto the bench several times this season. For a player who NFL/positions/2024/REGPO/offense-blocking?position=T”>Pro Football Focus received a grade of 71st of 76 offensive tacklesThey're snaps this struggling rookie can't miss.
Guyton has allowed five sacks and 23 pressures in 2024. He is second in the nfl in penalties (16) at his position and has only played 10 games. However, none of this is surprising as he was always seen as a project player that teams had to patiently develop. It's the injury situation that's really the issue that's haunting him, as it's stunting his development and delaying the Cowboys' evaluation of the 23-year-old.
Guyton, a right tackle in college, has anchored the left side since arriving in Dallas. Ideally, the Cowboys want to make him the blindside cornerstone, but if that transition fails, they always have the right side to fall back on. This isn't a move they would make as early as midseason, but if they get enough snaps to review, it's a move they could make as early as the 2025 offseason.
The 2024 season is largely a season of evaluating the entire offensive line. Guyton and fellow rookie starter Cooper Beebe are obviously new to the unit, and players like TJ Bass and Brock Hoffman are being evaluated for larger roles in the future. Tyler Smith has LT ability if needed, but Plan A is clearly to make Guyton the LT.
The different combinations could play out in different ways in 2025, but it all starts with choosing Guyton this year, and that can't happen if he hobbles off the field every two weeks.
