Cowboys need their guards to anchor the offensive line in 2024
The Cowboys boast arguably the best pair of guards in the NFL. But while having Zack Martin and Tyler Smith is an embarrassment of riches, they’re hardly a luxury for Dallas in 2024. Their greatness is much needed in the face of change and uncertainty throughout the rest of the offensive line.
Martin is coming off another First-Team All-Pro nod, his seventh in ten seasons, and Smith was named to the second team in just his second year. Though about a decade apart from each other in age and experience, they’re equally important to the Cowboys as two rookies are probably about to join them as offensive line starters.
Tyler Guyton and Coope Beebe are expected to replace Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz at left tackle and center, respectively. Guyton doesn’t really have competition as Dallas seems to be hurting right now for true LT depth. Backups like Chuma Edoga, Asim Richards, and Nathan Thomas are all considered better prospects at guard and would be liabilities on the left edge. And though he’s back for another chance to compete, Matt Waletzko would need a dramatic turnaround to inspire confidence.
Beebe has more of a fight on his hands with returning prospect Brock Hoffman, who was being talked about as a starting candidate before the draft, and with T.J. Bass reportedly getting center snaps. But all signs thus far indicate it’s Beebe’s job to lose and there is a lot of excitement about his potential to fill the void and perhaps even elevate it from Biadasz’s work.
Still, even if they’re healthy and solid in their rookie years, Guyton and Beebe’s inexperience will show at times. There may also be natural physical limitations that come when rookies haven’t yet developed their bodies for the pro level; major transformations tend to come in their second and third years. The Cowboys should plan on growing pains and that’s where having these kids slotted next to Martin and Smith is incredibly valuable.
Even on the right side, Martin’s presence is big for veteran RT Terence Steele. He hasn’t shown full recovery from his 2022 ACL injury yet, although he was trending upward last season. Still having Martin beside him gives Steele the best chance to find his mojo again as one of the league’s better run-blocking right tackles.
The guards could potentially provide stability even as we move down the depth chart. As mentioned before, Bass is working on his position flex as a potential center option. But what if Guyton were to get injured? In that scenario, Dallas probably puts Tyler Smith at left tackle and then Bass, Edoga, Richards, or Thomas would move up into left guard. Smith’s versatility was praised this offseason by the front office, comparing him to the late Larry Allen, so that plus the superior interior depth options makes Smith the logical first choice if there’s an issue at tackle. Had Dallas not come out of the draft with Guyton or some other LT prospect, that was likely the plan all along. Smith’s ability is a huge part of that strategy, but so is the trust in Bass, or someone who beats him out in this year’s camp, as a starting option at guard.
Since Tyron Smith started struggling with injuries and Travis Frederick suffered his untimely health issue, Zack Martin has been the bedrock of the Cowboys’ offensive line. He’s finally got a true partner again in Tyler Smith, and these two pillars may have to hold up their fellow linemen and other teammates more than ever in 2024. In a year of transitions, they’re about a stable as it gets.