Cowboys' Tyler Smith: 'Like Riding A Bike' to Become Pro Bowler in Year 2?
When the Dallas Cowboys selected Tulsa product Tyler Smith in the first-round of the 2022 NFL Draft, part of the vision was for him to learn from legend Tyron Smith.
And while the rookie did get a year of experience of hanging around with the eight-time Pro Bowler, it did not go exactly what the Cowboys envisioned. Initially picked to play right guard, Dallas was forced to call an audible with Tyron missing a majority of the year due to injury - thrusting Tyler into the left tackle spot.
Starting all 17 games, Smith played over 99 percent of the total offensive snaps, while accepting the challenge to adjust for his predecessor. And now? In-house, the Cowboys consider him a budding Pro Bowl-level player. ... no matter which position he ends up playing.
Said Tyler of shifting between left tackle and left guard: "It's definitely like riding a bike. It's like those mountain bikes where you have to switch gears sometimes. Sharp on the footwork is the biggest thing; at guard you have to have quicker hands and quicker with your feet. So (I'm) just refining those little details.''
Meanwhile, others think he is already there in terms of next-level ability.
In CBS Sports' recent "Under-the-radar players" for each NFC team, the second-year lineman was awarded the title in Dallas for his rookie-season performance.
"He started every game for the Cowboys in his rookie season, playing 1,022 snaps at left tackle and 121 snaps at guard -- becoming a valuable piece toward Dallas winning 12 games last year," CBS Sports writes. "While Smith allowed seven sacks and 35 pressures with a beat rate of 4.6%, he gained valuable experience and is expected to be a fixture on Dallas' line.''
The "fixture'' part is, frankly, more than "expected''; it's done. But what isn't done is exactly where the young fixture - the 6-5, 333-pound Tyler just turned 22 - will be fixed at, position-wise.
One idea: If DFW kid (Fort Worth) Tyler Smith is the left guard in 2023 (with Tyron Smith healthy at playing left tackle), Dallas will be employing a pair of monsters on that side. Or maybe Tyler plays left tackle, which might be his eventual landing spot, as originally planned.
Despite collecting the seventh-most penalties in the NFL in a good but learning-experience rookie year, the hand Smith was dealt makes one believe how good he can be with a future Hall of Famer (two, actually, counting Zack Martin at right guard) alongside.
Said Martin: "I think the games probably slowed down a little bit for him. That just comes from playing and he's got a full season under his belt. I know he wants to make that jump and I'm excited to see it."
You can find Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard
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