What Drew Shelton's Minicamp Usage Means for Dallas Cowboys

There was an interesting development at left tackle during the Dallas Cowboys' mandatory minicamp. Here's what it could mean moving forward.

Former Penn State Nittany Lions offensive lineman Drew Shelton. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The left tackle position is one to watch for the Dallas Cowboys going into training camp.

That's because the Cowboys are slated to have a competition for the job between Tyler Guyton and Nate Thomas, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said.

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

However, there was an interesting development during minicamp worth pointing out and it has to do with rookie Drew Shelton seeing reps with the second-team offense at left tackle.

While that was going on, Thomas was repping at the right tackle spot with the twos. One thing we haven't seen is Guyton running with any unit or at any spot but with the ones at left tackle.

"We’ve focused on Tyler Guyton vs. Nate Thomas at LT, but Thomas played RT with the second team today," Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News noted. "Who was the second team LT behind Guyton? Rookie Drew Shelton."

What this means for Cowboys

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

Of course, it's hard to put too much stock into anything that goes on at mandatory minicamp.

But this is the NFL offseason, so we're allowed to overanalyze anything and everything, especially because you just never know when a little nugget could be a sign of something bigger at play.

What this development could mean is Shelton has shown enough to be in the mix as a legitimate candidate for the swing tackle job, which would be surprising because we figured the loser of the Thomas-Guyton competition would have that role locked up.

One could also draw a conclusion that Shelton has an opportunity to wedge his way into the left tackle competition next month, which would be ideal because the more the merrier.

At the very least, it would appear that Shelton's progression is going in the right direction.

We would also point out that given the fact that Guyton doesn't seem to be repping with the twos and Thomas is, including on the right side, this might be an indication Guyton is far and away the favorite to win the competition over Thomas.

What's next for left tackle competition?

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

We know competitions really kick off in earnest at training camp, especially when the pads come on. We won't make any final determinations until we see how things shake out then.

But based on what we've seen through OTAs and minicamp, it is safe to say Guyton is the leader in the clubhouse going into next month.