The Dallas Cowboys didn’t make a ton of moves this offseason, but the ones they made appear set to be quite impactful. In the 2025 NFL Draft, the front office made an effort to reinforce their offensive line once again by selecting former Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Tyler Booker with the No. 12 overall pick.
A star right guard during his time in college, Booker appears set to immediately slide into the team’s starting lineup come Week 1. When he does, though, Booker won’t be playing just to play; he will be looking to win football games, and his latest comments on his mentality as he approaches his rookie campaign will surely earn him some fans in Dallas.
Tyler Booker Ready to Hit the Ground Running with Cowboys
The Cowboys’ offensive line has undergone some big changes in recent seasons. Gone are stalwarts like Tyron Smith and Zack Martin, forcing the front office to work on replacing them. They have now used three of their past four first-round picks on offensive linemen, selecting Tyler Smith in 2022, Tyler Guyton in 2024, and now Booker in 2025.
While Guyton’s rookie campaign left a lot to be desired, Smith has quickly turned himself into one of the top interior offensive linemen in the league. The hope is that Booker will be able to be an immediate plug-and-play starter, and if Guyton can develop as expected, the Cowboys’ offensive line could surprise a lot of folks next season.
One way or another, Booker has one goal heading into his rookie season, and that’s to win games. Booker revealed that he was upset not to have won a National Championship during his time in college with Alabama, meaning that he will be looking to get rid of that bad taste in his mouth by going out and dominating from the get-go with Dallas.
“I love to win and I hate to lose. I lost too much this past year. I lost a lot more than I should have in college, me being at Alabama,” Booker said via the Dallas Morning News. “I left without a national championship and that’s something that is going to burn at me for the rest of my life. So I’m going to bring that burn and passion and desire with me to the NFL and transfer that over to wanting to win Super Bowls.”
Cowboys Looking to Bounce Back in 2025
Injuries largely deterred the Cowboys’ 2024 campaign, but now that they have a clean bill of health heading into the new year, they will be hoping to reemerge as one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL. Over the offseason, Brian Schottenheimer was hired as the team’s new head coach after they parted ways with Mike McCarthy, and the front office went out and traded for George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers in an effort to take their offense to the next level.
While Micah Parsons’ contract situation still needs to get resolved as training camp draws, there’s reason to believe Dallas can get right back into the thick of the playoff mix in the NFC when they return to the field. If Booker can slot in right off the bat and play at a high level on their o-line, that will make them an even more dangerous team.
