One Dallas Cowboys Player Who Just Dodged a Major Draft-Day Bullet

While so much attention was rightly on the defensive side of the ball for the Dallas Cowboys going into the 2026 NFL Draft, there was at least one offensive position the team could've looked to address early on.

That position was left tackle, where the Cowboys have not gotten good early returns out of former first-round pick, Tyler Guyton.

Guyton struggled during his rookie campaign. In 15 games, he gave up six sacks and 26 pressures while posting Pro Football Focus grades of 51.3 in run-blocking and 60.2 in pass-blocking, marks that ranked him 72nd and 61st, respectively, among offensive tackles.

Guyton's second year wasn't much better. Not only did he struggle with injury, leading to his missing seven games, but Guyton posted a worse pass-blocking grade (50.0) and only sported a moderate improvement in run-blocking grade (64.9) while permitting two sacks and 31 total pressures. Yes, Guyton had more pressures allowed despite playing in five less games.

Then, there has even been the idea that the Cowboys could move Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith to left tackle, which came to fruition at least briefly at the end of last season.

There was no doubt plenty of reason to think Guyton's days as a starter might be numbered, and while that still could be true, the Cowboys' draft strategy amounted to a bullet dodged for the young bookend.

How Tyler Guyton dodged a draft-day bullet

Dallas Cowboys tackle Tyler Guyton (60) interviews fans at training camp at the River Ridge Fields. — Dallas Cowboys tackle Tyler Guyton. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While the Cowboys did draft an offensive tackle in Penn State's Drew Shelton, that pick came in the fourth round, which hardly makes Shelton a threat to take Guyton's job early on.

We also know that Shelton is going to need plenty of development before he's ready to see the field, so he may not even factor in as the top option off the bench, let alone someone who could take Guyton's job. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer also hinted Shelton could get a look at guard.

The fact that Dallas didn't take a tackle in the first two days of the draft and instead opted for a developmental player in Round 4 shows that Guyton is likely to get another shot in 2026.

If there is a legitimate threat to his job, it comes from the Cowboys moving Smith to left tackle, something the former second-team All-Pro has made clear he doesn't want to do.

“I’m an All-Pro guard, bro. That’s the simple truth," Smith stated. "We’ll see what happens. We’ll have those conversations. Gotta see where everybody’s head is at."

We think Dallas will, at least initially, oblige Smith's desire to remain at guard and Guyton will be the Week 1 starter, although he'll be seeing competition during the offseason..

None of this means that Guyton is completely safe the entire year, but he's in a better position than he otherwise would have been had Dallas taken a left tackle on Day 1 or 2.

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