Do you think the Cowboys should give any consideration to moving Tyler Smith to left tackle?
Tyler Smith is an All-Pro guard. Watching him pummel defenders in the trenches has become a glorious sight over the past two seasons. The Dallas Cowboys drafted the Tulsa tackle 24th overall in 2022 with the intentions of sliding him inside to play guard; however, an injury to Tyron Smith forced him to man the edge during his rookie season. There were some bumps along the way, but the then 21-year-old held up admirably at the most important position on the offensive line.
The following year, when Tyron Smith was back, Tyler took over the left guard spot and flourished. It was a match made in heaven. All his deficiencies, such as balance, technique, and lack of discipline, transformed into a powerful downhill mauler who would take defenders on a stroll. Holding penalties were replaced with highlights as this previously raw talent immediately transformed into one of the game’s best interior offensive linemen. You’d have to be a crazy person to ever consider moving him back outside.
[crazy has entered the chat]
Now that we have shared our feelings on why Smith needs to stay firmly planted at left guard, let’s shake up this Etch-A-Sketch and draw a picture of why moving him to left tackle might be worth visiting. Again, we’re not advocating for this; we’re just entertaining all options in the spirit of being thorough.
It looks like last year’s seventh-round pick, Nate Thomas, will be getting the first crack, but here are some things the Cowboys should take into consideration.
Stability at left tackle is now a legit concern
The Cowboys selected Tyler Guyton to replace Tyron Smith after the 13-year veteran struggled to stay healthy. Smith missed games in each of his last eight seasons with the Cowboys, including a three-year stretch from 2020-2022 where he missed 70% of his games.
Unfortunately, Guyton’s career is not off to a great start. He dealt with injuries last season, and counting his final two years in college, this will now make four-straight years that he’s missed time due to injuries. His story is far from written, but his inability to stay healthy is a little concerning.
Over the last nine seasons, only one player has started every game at left tackle for the Cowboys. And that player is Tyler Smith.
The team has a lot more depth at guard
With Guyton out of action, the Cowboys must now put out an ABP for a replacement left tackle. They have some in-house options among the current tackles, our own Brandon Loree laid them out for us, including Nate Thomas. The solution could be found with backup tackles, but those names don’t inspire much confidence. Protecting Dak Prescott’s blind spot is rather important.
What the Cowboys lack in tackle depth, they have in spades along the interior. Brock Hoffman was expected to be the team’s new right guard, but that changed when the team drafted Tyler Booker. They also have Rob Jones, who, unfortunately, suffered a setback after breaking a bone in his neck, but he could return in October. T.J. Bass is also on standby.
Not only does the team have an abundance of depth along the interior, but moving Smith to left tackle could put Booker back to his natural position at left guard, where he played in all but one game during his time at Alabama.
Smith is going to be paid like a top offensive lineman
Soon, Smith will become one of the highest-paid offensive linemen in the league, bringing in north of $25 million per year. That’s a lot of money. Normally, the big money going out to offensive linemen goes towards the tackle position. If you look at the top 13 highest-paid offensive linemen, only one player (Kansas City’s Trey Smith) is a guard.
Good players are good players, and it’s not sacrilegious for the Cowboys to pay top dollar for an elite guard. They’ve done it before with Zack Martin. But it’s also not a bad idea to have your big contracts go to premium positions.
How do we know how good he is at left tackle?
There’s no world where the Cowboys should be willing to trade an All-Pro guard for a mediocre tackle. The team should want their players in a position to be their best and shouldn’t tinker with it for the sole sake of compensating for a lack of depth.
But what if Smith can also be great at left tackle? We can’t base his entire potential on one rookie season where he entered the NFL as a raw prospect. Who’s to say that with more development, he can’t turn into a stud left tackle as well? Remember, back in 2011, Tyron Smith played right tackle during his rookie season, the position he played in college. But after learning that Doug Free wasn’t the answer at left tackle, they switched them, and Smith handled the transition quite well. We all know how that turned out.
