Cowboys Confirm 2-Man Competition at Left Tackle: 'We're Going to Make Tyler Earn it'

The Dallas Cowboys confirmed who will be the top competition for Tyler Guyton at left tackle this offseason.

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys are going to have a full-blown competition at left tackle this offseason.

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer confirmed as much ahead of the team's first open practice of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on Thursday.

In one corner, we'll have Tyler Guyton, and in the other it'll be third-year tackle Nate Thomas, Schottenheimer noted.

"We're gonna make Tyler earn it," Schotty said. "We think that's gonna get the best out of Tyler Guyton and Nate Thomas."

Schottenheimer did go on to say that he likes what he has seen from Guyton this offseason, but clearly that wasn't enough for Dallas to hand him the job.

What happened to Drew Shelton?

Penn State offensive lineman Drew Shelton. | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

One player not mentioned as a competitor for the left tackle job was fourth-round pick Drew Shelton, who was previously speculated about as a possible competitor for the job.

But it's not entirely surprising he isn't in the mix. We assumed he'd need time to develop before entering a significant competition, whether that be for a starting or depth job.

Shelton is likely to get a look at guard on top of seeing tackle reps, as Schottenheimer said earlier this offseason.

A make-or-break year for Tyler Guyton

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton. | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

It goes without saying this is a huge year for Guyton's career after the left tackle has failed to live up to his first-round billing over his first two years in the NFL.

Guyton had a rocky rookie season that saw him give up six sacks and 26 pressures while posting Pro Football Focus grades of 51.3 in run-blocking and 60.2 in pass-blocking in 15 games.

Guyton saw his run-blocking grade improve to 64.9 in 2025, but he saw his pass-blocking mark dip to 50.0. Guyton also gave up more pressures (31) despite playing in five less games.

The Cowboys are absolutely doing the right thing challenging Guyton in 2026.

Can Nate Thomas win the job?

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Nate Thomas and Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parson. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Based on what we've seen out of Guyton over the last two years, he is very beatable. However, we wouldn't exactly consider the former seventh-round pick stiff competition.

Thomas got the nod in 17 games last season, starting in four of them. The results were less than inspiring, though, as Thomas recorded PFF grades of 52.9 in run-blocking and 31.6 in pass-blocking and gave up three sacks and 23 pressures over his 342 snaps.

But anyone who has watched football knows players can take a big leap from year to year, so it's possible the best is yet to come for the Louisiana product. Of course, the same can be said for Guyton, also.