Heading into training camp ahead of the 2024 season, Cowboys rookie tackle Tyler Guyton was an iffy proposition. There was no doubt that he had the talent that made him worthy of being the first-round pick of the Cowboys—No. 29 overall—but there were plenty of questions as to whether he was ready to take on a full-time role replacing a likely Hall of Famer in Tyron Smith.
But Guyton was so impressive during the preseason that he earned the job, and earned the confidence of the coaching staff in the process. Then came Week 1, in which all that Guyton had to do was handle the best pass-rusher in the league, Cleveland’s Myles Garrett.
And Guyton, by his own admission, was every bit the rookie in that situation. Guyton gave up a sack to Garrett, was called for a penalty and warranted a grade of 42.0 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 62nd out of 64 tackles who played significant snaps last week.
Guyton had a blunt assessment of how he did: “Poorly,” he said via the Dallas Morning News. “The situation is against a good player [Myles Garrett] like that on the road … couldn’t even hear the [calls]. The odds were against me I don’t think it was terrible. I felt like I could have been a lot better.”
Cowboys Will Face Saints in Week 2
Give Guyton credit for honesty. Despite the early struggles, he held his own against the Browns, and should be happy to be moving on after a summer working against Micah Parsons and then getting his first experience against Garrett. Next up in Week 2 is Cam Jordan of the Saints, who is no picnic, either. Jordan has slowed at age 35 but has 117.5 sacks in his career and eight Pro Bowl appearances to his credit.
“I feel like going against a great player makes you better. I would rather go against a better player,” Guyton said.
Guyton said he was not nervous to get his career started, but was appreciative of the opportunity.
“I was more excited. It was my first game and I get to protect Dak Prescott, the highest paid player in the NFL. That’s pretty cool,” he said. “As a competitor, I feel like we always want to do better. But I feel like, my first game in the NFL wasn’t bad, but there’s a lot of room to grow. I’m super excited about it, I get to learn from my mistakes.”
Tyler Guyton Was ‘Impressive’ All Summer
All this comes on the heels of a very good preseason for Guyton, who ranked No. 4 among all first-round picks in PFF’s grades from August. He will want to build off of the performance against Garrett—he really needs to—and re-establish his place on the Cowboys’ line as the season progresses.
He likely will. In August, PFF wrote of Guyton:
“Guyton was impressive enough in his first two preseason games to earn the job as Dallas’ starting left tackle. He showed plus strength and improved technique compared to his days at Oklahoma. He was equally impressive in the run and pass games, earning a 78.3 grade in the former and an 80.0 in the latter. Losing a future Hall of Famer like Tyron Smith isn’t easy, but the Cowboys likely feel better about their left tackle spot after seeing Guyton’s progress so far.”
