Dallas City News

Tyler Guyton has received plenty of praise since coming to the Dallas Cowboys, and last Sunday’s preseason opener was no exception. The rookie left tackle got high grades for his performance in Dallas’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams, and it’s especially encouraging given recent injury news at his position.

In the aftermath of the first full week of NFL preseason action, the analytics site Pro Football Focus has released grades of the players who did suit up for games. Guyton clearly stood out among his peers.

This grade validates the ample postgame commentary and analysis that had Guyton among the Cowboys’ top performers in Los Angeles, not just among the rookies but anyone who played. On a day when Dallas’ offense mostly struggled, Guyton was still able to get noticed for individual dominance when he was on the field.

It has to be said that Guyton didn’t start the game, so his competition when playing wasn’t from the level he’d see in the regular season. But we’ve only heard good things from the Cowboys’ training camp as well, be it praise from All-Pro teammates on the offensive line or handling his business in pass protection against Micah Parsons. So far, whatever the occasion, Guyton keeps rising to it.

This is all the more important now with news that Chuma Edoga, Dallas’ most-experienced left tackle option, will be out at least a month with a foot injury suffered against the Rams. It puts the onus on Guyton to be ready for the starting left tackle job as the other most-likely candidate will now be out for a while.

Granted, Guyton was probably starting in Week 1 regardless of Edoga’s status. While the veteran was getting a lot of first-team work in camp and started last Sunday, that’s typical when dealing with returning players and rookies. It’s a rite of passage for rookies to have to “earn” starting jobs, even if it’s more for appearances. But based on everything seen and heard thus far, Guyton was already headed to being named the starter.

Thankfully, Edoga’s injury isn’t forcing the team’s hand. If Guyton was a liability they could still go with Tyler Smith as the left tackle and start someone else at guard. That remains an option in case Guyton gets injured as well. But after some offseason speculation that Smith could be used at left tackle in 2024, it now appears to be nothing more than an emergency option.

Tyler Guyton is already looking like another hit for the Cowboys as a first-round offensive lineman. Bigger tests are still to come, but the potential for the rookie to be an immediate contributor is becoming clearer every week. Now with Chuma Edoga out, Guyton can easily take the job and hopefully never give it back.