It's not hard to come up with question marks surrounding the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
Truth be told, it's hard to know what to expect from them because there are so many holes on the roster but just about every one has a player you can talk yourself into in the slow yet hopeful days of the offseason. That's why their win total is set low at 7.5 wins.
Speaking of those, Pro Football Focus writer Dalton Wasserman recently listed every NFL team's "make or break" player ahead of the season. For the Cowboys, it was none other than defensive tackle Mazi Smith. And while I fully understand his selection, I believe there's an even more important player that fits the description: Tyler Guyton.
Below is Wasserman's argument for Smith, which I don't hate at all:
Dallas’ run defense was a sieve last season, posting the second-worst PFF run-defense grade in the NFL. One reason for that has been the struggles of former first-round pick Mazi Smith, who has earned a lowly 30.0 PFF run-defense grade across his first two NFL seasons, which is the ninth-worst mark among defensive tackles who have played at least 200 run defense snaps in that span.
Perhaps new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus can unlock something we have yet to see from Smith. If Smith can’t figure things out this season, though, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him playing elsewhere in 2026.
Smith stepping up his game will be crucial on defense. The Cowboys have been unable to successfully defend the run for the last few years and if they don't solve it now, the offense will find itself in impossible game scenarios all year long.
However, when I think of the biggest reason why the 2025 Cowboys have a chance to emerge as a winning team in the NFC East, the first thing I think of is the passing game. With CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott has been able to wow the league at times, particularly in 2023, when he finished second in MVP voting behind only Lamar Jackson.
Add George Pickens into the mix and that's an even more dangerous offense. With Pickens, Lamb, and tight end Jake Ferguson gearing up to be much healthier, this could be the best group of weapons the Cowboys QB has had in a long time.
But. . . None of that matters if the pass pro doesn't hold up. And it might not hold up if Tyler Guyton fails to progress. The rookie struggled in Year 1 of his NFL career to the point he was rotated in and out of the lineup even when the season was nearly lost.
The athleticism is clearly there, but hand usage and overall discipline on the field must improve if Guyton is to take the next step. If he does, the Cowboys would have a very solid offensive line with one of the best cores in the league after they added guard Tyler Booker in the NFL Draft.
If he doesn't, the passing game will be rushed and not even schemed for those deep shots Prescott would love to take with Pickens and Lamb in the lineup.
In other words, I believe Guyton's play will strongly impact what will ultimately the best facet of the 2025 Cowboys. In my book, he's the make-or-break player to monitor next season.
