Cowboys Eyeing 2 Offensive Lineman as Challengers for Tyler Guyton, Terence Steele

The Dallas Cowboys want two of their offensive linemen to push Terence Steele and Tyler Guyton this offseason.

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Terence Steele. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys' offense will once again be their strength in 2026, but that doesn't mean the unit doesn't have some question marks.

The biggest ones come at both tackle spots, where Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele have struggled in recent years.

Guyton has not lived up to his first-round billing over two years and he also struggled with injury in 2025. Dallas gave Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith a look at left tackle late last season, but it appears that has been shelved for now.

Meanwhile, Steele has been a shell of himself since signing an extension in 2023. Over the last three seasons, Steele has given up 23 sacks and 147 pressures, and he has committed seven penalties in each campaign.

As a result of their struggles, both players are facing a crucial year for their careers and their leashes could be short

But before they take the field in 2026, the Cowboys are hoping Drew Shelton and Nate Thomas, both of whom will compete for the swing tackle job, will at least offer a challenge for the two starters, according to Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com.

"The same could be said for the offensive linemen, although if the Cowboys added another veteran tackle, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world," Eatman said.

"Then again, there are people within the building that want to see Nate Thomas and Drew Shelton compete and also push the likes of Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele, too," he added.

Could Shelton or Newman win a starting job?

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Nate Thomas. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The chances of either one of these two players winning a starting job over Guyton and/or Steele this offseason are slim.

One reason is because the Cowboys have a lot invested in Guyton and Steele and are certainly going to give them an opportunity to right the ship in 2026.

Another reason for Shelton is because the rookie is likely going to need plenty of development before he's ready to see the field. The Penn State product started 34 games at left tackle in college, but we know that experience doesn't mean much when it comes to transitioning to the NFL.

Dallas is also planning on giving Shelton a look at guard, so that may very well slow his development at tackle.

"It will be new but I'm willing to do it," Shelton said of getting work at guard ahead of his first season. "It doesn't matter to me. I'm going to get work at both and we'll see where we take it."

As for Thomas, he remains the favorite to win the swing tackle job over Shelton, but it's hard to envision him doing enough to unseat Steele or Guyton this offseason after what we saw out of the seventh-round pick in 2025.

Thomas saw the field for 342 snaps last season and posted a putrid 31.6 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade and gave up three sacks and 23 pressures. He also posted a lackluster run-blocking grade of 52.9.

With what we know, Guyton's and Steele's jobs are probably safe for now, but we would not rule out at least one of them getting replaced during the season if their struggles continue.