The Cowboys pulled off something of a surprise last month during the NFL draft when they chose to use their first pick–No. 12 overall–on offensive lineman Tyler Booker. Heading into the draft, the assumption (or perhaps the hope) was that Dallas would find a top-shelf offensive weapon to take pressure off star receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Word was that the Cowboys centered in on Tetairoa McMillan, and once he was off the board, they went in a safer direction by taking Booker, who likely projects to a guard in the NFL.
Now, not only have the Cowboys secured more offensive line depth, but the team has also locked him up, contract-wise.
That’s according to league insider Jordan Schultz, who wrote on Twitter/X: “Sources: The #Cowboys and No. 12 pick G Tyler Booker have agreed to a 4-year, $22.5M deal that includes a $13M signing bonus, making him the first 1st-round pick to reach a deal.”
Cowboys Rebuilding Offensive Line
The expectation for Booker will be that he can step in at right guard from the get-go in 2025, taking over for the retired Zack Martin. The Cowboys are attempting, essentially, to flip their offensive line on the fly, with stalwarts like Martin and Tyron Smith (who left for the Jets last year, and then retired) now out of the league.
Barring injury or unexpected struggles, the Cowboys should have three players picked in the past two drafts (Booker, center Cooper Beebe and tackle Tyler Guyton) along the 2025 offensive line.
While Beebe held his own last year, Guyton’s struggles were notable.
Booker is hoping not to have those growing pains. “I just really want to have a mastery of the playbook,” Booker told DallasCowboys.com. “I don’t want to slow down the room or the offense just because I’m a rookie—that’s something I really don’t want to do. So over rookie minicamp and rookie development, I want to develop a real mastery of the playbook so I can play confidently and play fast.”
