FRISCO, Texas — Sweat dripped from Tyler Guyton’s face as he spoke. Only a few moments earlier, the Dallas Cowboys’ left tackle was on the field at The Star for more than an hour in the team’s fifth organized team activity.
“He’s having a terrific offseason,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “He’s working his ass off. He looks great.”
It is only the voluntary offseason program, and players aren’t in pads, so even Schottenheimer wanted to temper expectations somewhat. But if the Cowboys’ offense is to become the top-11 unit that it was from 2019 to 2024, then Guyton, the 2024 first-round pick, will need to make a jump in his play.
For all of the talk of quarterback Dak Prescott’s return from hamstring surgery, the addition of receiver George Pickens, the playmaking of WR1 CeeDee Lamb and the tweaks to the offense brought by Schottenheimer, the play of Dallas’ offensive line will need to be better in 2025.
Left guard Tyler Smith is a Pro Bowler. Center Cooper Beebe showed promise as a rookie in 2024. Terence Steele is reliable at right tackle. The Cowboys selected Tyler Booker in the first round this year and immediately made him the starter at right guard.
And then there’s Guyton.
He is at the forefront of the needed improvement, and he knows it.
“I didn’t do too good last year,” Guyton said last week. “I want to do better. I want to be a guy that can be depended on.”
Guyton started 11 of the 15 games he played last year. He missed two games with knee and shoulder issues. He finished with the third-most accepted penalties in the league with 14 (18 total). Eight were holding penalties, five were false starts. He allowed seven sacks.
Making the move from right tackle at Oklahoma, where he was protecting the blindside of lefthanded Dillon Gabriel, to left tackle with the Cowboys and replacing future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith was a difficult task. That’s why the Cowboys’ original plan was to have veteran Chuma Edoga start to give Guyton time to learn, but Edoga suffered a toe injury in camp, fast-tracking Guyton.
Guyton also missed time in training camp with an illness. He wasn’t able to practice at different times during the season because of injuries. Former coach Mike McCarthy lamented the time Guyton missed, believing that impacted his development.
“I’m not going to make any excuses,” Guyton said. “I just didn’t play as good as I needed to last year. I’m coming with a different attitude this year to become a better player.”
When the season ended, Guyton came up with an improvement plan. As soon as he could, he was at The Star working out to get bigger and stronger. Off the field, he changed his diet. Away from the facility, he added a workout room in his garage. He has new eyes on him in the offensive line room with coordinator Klayton Adams and line coach Conor Riley.
“I just feel like I have a lot to prove, and I needed to work on things, and getting in here earlier was the way I was going to do it,” Guyton said.
He met with the team’s nutrition staff and studied videos on his own. He eliminated fried food from his diet, which meant the self-described “Caniac” could no longer go to Raising Cane’s. He now eats more salmon and steak.
He is still listed at 322 pounds, but he feels better.
“I feel like I have a lot more energy. I feel like my joints feel a lot better,” he said. “Eating the right things, putting good fuel into my diet has definitely helped me become a better player.”
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After watching his tape, he said he stretches for an hour almost every night in his workout room. There are no fans in the garage.
“It’s hot as hell,” he said.
Taking care of his body was something Zack Martin stressed, but Guyton did not truly know what he meant until going through his rookie season.
“He played super physical, and that requires a level of commitment to your body that is untapped by regular players,” Guyton said.
Earlier in the offseason, he sat in the back of the room during the retirement press conferences for Martin and Smith. They combined for 17 Pro Bowl appearances with the Cowboys.
“I feel like I almost got emotional watching Tyron Smith because that’s a guy that I looked up to,” Guyton said. “I want to follow in his footsteps in being a great Dallas Cowboys left tackle. So hearing his legacy stretch across a decade, it’s extremely a blessing and I want to fit that mold.”
It’s only the offseason. There is a mandatory minicamp next week, but the pads do not come on until late July in training camp. Then comes preseason games before the Sept. 4 opener against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
“He understands how important this year is for him,” Schottenheimer said. “Not just for him, but for our football team.”
