Now that Zack Martin has retired, the best offensive lineman on the Dallas Cowboys is clearly Tyler Smith.
For most of his three-year run in Dallas, Smith has played at guard. Occasionally, he has moved over to tackle when injuries have forced a move.
With the upcoming season, and both of the team’s current starting tackles having issues, where will Smith end up starting the season?
Will he remain at left guard or permanently move over to left tackle?
That’s a question best answered by the new coaching staff. Given the apparent emphasis on establishing the run game, it’s an important question to answer.
Smith has started in every game he has played in over his brief career. He has missed only four games out of those 51 due to injury, three coming in the 2023 season.
He missed last season’s win at Washington after missing the first two games, and the season finale, of the 2023 season. Over those three seasons, he has taken 97% of the snaps in games he has played in.
Smith has played every snap in all three of his career playoff games.
In short, the first-round draft pick (24th overall) out of Tulsa has been solid as a rock, especially in 2024.
In his first two seasons, Smith was flagged for 11 penalties in 2022 and 10 more in 2023. He had six holding calls in each of those two years.
Smith was called for five false starts in 2022 and two more in 2023.
But in 2024, he drew only two flags for the entire season.
One was for holding and the other for a false start.
Smith’s pass protection and run blocking was nearly flawless in 2024. That is something he’ll need to carry over into this year, no matter what position he ends up playing.
Smith even has one career reception, albeit for no gain, which came in last season’s loss to Baltimore.
That catch should have been wiped out on an illegal touching call, but the Ravens declined the penalty, allowing the catch to stand.
He is also credited with one career tackle in his rookie year in a win over the Titans.
Outlook For 2025
As I’ve written several times, and I’ll repeat it again here, Smith should be the starting left tackle in 2025.
Moving Guyton over to right tackle with T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman at guards sandwiching Cooper Beebe at center strikes me as the best line option.
But, as I’m not Brian Schottenheimer, Klayton Adams, or Conor Riley, I don’t get a vote. It will be interesting to see what this trio thinks of their options as camps get underway.
Just what kind of confidence the coaching staff has in the roster as it currently sits will probably be reflected in how Dallas drafts in late April.
The one certainty is, Tyler Smith is going to be starting in 2025. It’s only a question of which position it will be.
Long-Term Outlook
Smith is under his rookie contract and will make a little more than $4 million this year. The Cowboys do have an option to pick up his fifth year for the 2026 season.
He will become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
Although it seems likely that Smith will get a second contract for a tidy sum from the Cowboys later this year or next.
Smith turns 24 in April and seems likely to have as long and as successful a career awaiting him as the one Martin enjoyed.
The only way Smith doesn’t end his career in Dallas would be if Jerry Jones’ plan is to give this roster the next two years to win.
A lot of contracts either expire, or have options to opt out, after the 2026 season concludes.
Even if this is the case, Smith should be one of the few players to survive the rebuild. He’s just too good of a player to let get away.
