Cowboys' in-house Tyler Guyton replacement likely unheralded 7th-round pick

The Dallas Cowboys' search for a temporary replacement at left tackle while Tyler Guyton recovers from a bone fracture in his knee doesn't appear to have taken long.

Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones was making the media rounds on Tuesday evening when he was asked about who would step into the starting left tackle role. As it turns out, it is a man who was praised by the coaching staff during the first week of training camp.

Jones named offensive tackle Nate Thomas, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft but missed his rookie season due to knee tendinitis, as the likely fill-in.

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After rehabbing his injury, Jones is back and ready to go and likely finds himself with one of the most important jobs on the team: Protecting the blindside of franchise quarterback Dak Prescott.

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Nathan Thomas goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

"He's having a really good camp for us. He has exceeded expectations. He's serious-minded about what he's doing out there," Jones told 105.3 The Fan, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. "We do feel like we have some good players there that can certainly do the job."

Last week, head coach Brian Schottenheimer specifically mentioned Jones as a name to watch out for.

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"A guy to watch out for is Nate Thomas. He's doing great. He's a guy we didn't get to see a lot of football out of last year. He's been great," Schotty said. "He worked his ass off getting back. He had a great spring, worked incredibly hard and was here all the time. We're moving him around, he's playing multiple spots. He looks really good right now at tackle. He's a big guy that's hard to get around. I love that flexibility that he brings."

It's clear that the coaching staff likes what they have seen from Jones so far, so it will be interesting to see what he can continue to do in training camp as he sees increased reps and gets to work with the ones.

Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer signs autographs at training camp at the River Ridge Fields. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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