When one door closes, another opens, and for Dallas Cowboys second-year tackle Nate Thomas, his NFL opportunity has come in training camp, and he's taking full advantage.
With Tyler Guyton suffering a bone fracture and being out for four to six weeks, according to what we've been told, the Cowboys had to act swiftly to determine who would be Dak Prescott's protector for the remainder of camp.
One move: Dallas signed off the couch old pal La'el Collins, 32, who has been out of football for a year.
Another move: Some level of trust in Thomas.
Granted, there were a few incumbent candidates, but Thomas got first crack, and he hasn't looked back, making good progress with the starters.
And right tackle Terence Steele can't help but be excited for him.
"The dude, he had injury last year, and he's worked his butt off to get healthy again," Steele said. "Even in OTAs, he was out there grinding every single day. He always asking me, just about tips and pointers of things I see from him on film and, he looks for every single way to get better. He's country strong, like for real, he's got some really good power behind him.
"He wants this, he's hungry, he's young. I'm excited for this opportunity for him.”
Of course, this won't always be Nate's show, with Asim Richards and Hakeem Adeniji also in the mix, but if Thomas can continue to stack good days as he has done, then it will be tough for Brian Schottenheimer to relegate him to the second team.
With a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams to come, plus a couple of preseason games, Thomas' opportunity might see him get the lion's share of reps over the coming weeks.
And if he can continue on this trajectory during that time, Dallas might not have to rush Guyton back for Week 1.
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