The winds of change have blown through The Star this offseason, with the Dallas Cowboys' coaching staff undergoing drastic changes.
But that hasn't been the only change this offseason.
Offensive line duo and future Hall of Famer's Zack Martin and Tyron Smith both retired, leaving a gaping leadership hole in the room, but it's one that both think Tyler Smith can take over with each offering glowing words about Smith in their retirement speeches.
Smith, who has two Pro Bowl nods in his three seasons, is the one who will be expected to pick up the slack and lead this new-look offensive line in 2025.
But has it hit Smith that Martin won't be alongside him this upcoming year?
“It did hit me, I ain't going to lie, the retirement speeches have a way of doing it to you,” Smith said. “It's an honor, the time I got to play with them, the lessons I learned from those guys and even just hearing how they hold me in high regard, it's crazy for me. I grew up watching those guys, I'm only 24, so I got to continue the culture, the standard is still the standard, and we got big dreams this offseason. We need that Lombardi trophy so we got to do what we got to do.”
With Smith and Martin now out, the last of the Cowboys' great line that goes back to Travis Frederick as well, is no more, meaning that the likes of Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Guyton, Terence Steele, Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass will have to pick up the slack.
Smith is seen as the expected leader of that room, and while he is still young, the traits are there. With the help of Klayton Adams and Conor Riley, both are coaches who have skins on the wall in developing linemen and producing good rushing attacks, the 2025 season is looming as a defining one.
And Tyler is ready to uphold the standards his predecessors set, and while that is a high bar, it's one he's determined to reach.
