Tyler Booker makes the rest of the offensive line look very interesting.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of all the Cowboys’ 2025 draft picks was the first one, Alabama guard Tyle Booker. He walks in as a new starter, presumably replacing Zack Martin at right guard. But while that’s the natural assumption, another possibility is out there which could lead to greater change across the offensive line.
Booker played left guard for the Crimson Tide last season. Transitioning OL positions upon entering the NFL is hardly uncommon; Martin himself was a left tackle at Notre Dame but immediately went to RG in Dallas. Tyler Smith was also a LT at Tulsa but immediately moved to guard as a pro. Cooper Beebe played guard and tackle at Kansas St. but became a center with the Cowboys. So yeah, it happens all the time, and asking Booker to stay at guard and just move from left to right is probably the least challenging transition there is.
But again, Dallas’ picking Booker was a big surprise because the interior OL was low on the needs list compared to others. Smith and Beebe are locked in as starters and Brock Hoffman was competent last year when Martin got hurt. Dallas had already brought in veteran Robert Jones and Saahdiq Charles this offseason to compete with him, T.J. Bass, and other prospects. Compared to WR, CB, and other positions, it just didn’t seem like the spot Dallas would address on Thursday night.
If the Cowboys were going to pick an offensive lineman early, a new tackle made way more sense. Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele were the weakest points on last year’s line. Steele is also a ripening cap casualty with $8.75 million saved next year as an outright release. A new OT could have provided immediate competition, or at least a new swing tackle, and at least someone to groom for next year if Steele’s gone or if Guyton doesn’t progress.
Well, what if the Booker pick has more to do with Guyton and Steele than we think? Sure, this is total speculation, but let’s follow it through. You can draw a straight line from Booker to the likes of Hoffman, Bass, Jones, and Charles as the clear losers from his arrival. They’ve probably gone from competing for a starting job to backup spots at best.
However, did Dallas add a new guard because they’re considering moving Tyler Smith to left tackle? Could Booker, again, a LG in college, be playing that same spot in Dallas so that Smith can provide an upgrade protecting Dak Prescott’s blind side?
It’s not hard to imagine. While Smith is an All-Pro at left guard, he proved that he could handle LT duties in his rookie season. After preparing all offseason to play guard in 2022, Tyler returned to LT when Tyron Smith got injured and played there most of the season. It wasn’t always pretty, which was to be expected given the circumstances, but still good enough for the Cowboys to go 12-5 and win a playoff game.
It stands to reason that Smith would be even better now at left tackle, especially if he gets a full offseason to prepare for it. And unless Guyton takes a massive developmental leap in his second season, Smith is probably Dallas’ best option for arguably the most critical position on the entire offensive line.
That doesn’t mean Guyton wouldn’t start in 2025. He could be tried at right tackle, which he played in college, in a competition with Steele. Maybe he ends up there long-term given Steele’s contract situation. At the very least, Guyton could be a strong swing option this season as he works on his craft and towards starting again in his third year.
This scenario opens the door back up for Hoffman, Jones, and that pack of interior options to compete for a starting job. It also allows for flexibility; Booker could still end up on the right side if one of those guys is particularly better at left guard. The offseason is the time for moving guys around and positional shifts, especially with a new offensive coaching staff shaking things up anyway.
Odds are that Tyler Booker is here for the obvious, replacing Zack Martin as the Cowboys’ new right guard. But given the weakness at offensive tackle last year and the goal of deploying the best line possible in 2025, the possibility that his arrival facilitates Tyler Smith sliding left shouldn’t be ignored. It may be how Dallas gets their five best linemen on the field this season.
