Cowboys’ Tyler Smith will continue to start at left tackle, which could carry into 2026

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There’s no question that Zack Martin could have been an outstanding right tackle. But playing right guard for 11 seasons at an All-Decade Team level is why he is expected to one day be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It could be a similar story with Tyler Smith. At left guard, he’s an All-Pro caliber player. But he could certainly play left tackle at a high level, if needed. He did it during his rookie season and it was on display again Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said after the game that the move is for the rest of the season.

“If you watch the way (Smith) played, and see how these guys functioned, we know he can play out there,” Schottenheimer said of the 2022 first-round pick. “We’re not surprised. I’m not surprised. At the end of the day, we made the move because we thought it gave us the best chance to win these next three games. (That’s the way) it’s going to be for these next two games now. We’ll evaluate everything. It’s no different from scheme and all that stuff. We’ll evaluate everything once the season is over.”

So, there is the possibility that the Cowboys enter 2026 with Smith as their starting left tackle. Smith didn’t sound like he was willing to go quite that far when asked after the game.

“I honestly have no idea (if the move is temporary or long term),” he said. “For this week it was due to some injuries. Ultimately, I’m gonna do what’s best for the team. Also, I’m a smart player. I understand who I am, where I am, and ultimately what I’m getting paid to do. I’m going to be smart. We’ll have those conversations when we have those conversations.”

Smith signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension in September, making him the highest-paid interior lineman in NFL history. But $24 million per year would rank sixth among left tackles and ninth among all offensive tackles. A full-time move might lead to Smith looking for a raise.

And it might be worth it.

According to Pro Football Focus, Smith’s grade for Sunday’s game against the Chargers was his fourth-highest grade in 14 games this season.

“I thought he was an amazing player,” Schottenheimer said Monday of how Smith played at left tackle. “To do what we did against that group. We haven’t been protecting Dak (Prescott) very well. And against a really, really good front, I thought we played really well across the board and kept Dak really clean. Tyler is just an amazing player.”

Second-year left tackle Tyler Guyton isn’t expected to play Thursday. He has missed the last four games with an ankle injury. That uncertainty played a role in the Cowboys deciding to go with Smith at left tackle for the final three games. If Guyton is able to return for the season finale, he’d likely be the team’s swing tackle.

There has been very little continuity along the Cowboys offensive line for several years. The hope had been to get a full season with Guyton at left tackle, Smith at left guard, Cooper Beebe at center, Tyler Booker at right guard and Terence Steele at right tackle. Steele has been the only one to play every game. Guyton has missed five games, Smith one, Beebe six and Booker three.

Dallas’ tackle play hasn’t been very good this season. Steele ranks 40th among all players in the position group, according to PFF grades. That’s the highest of all Cowboys tackles.

The Cowboys have routinely said that their offensive line goals have been to get their best five on the field. Smith is clearly one of those five. Booker and Beebe are as well. If Dallas doesn’t believe that its current five is good enough with both Guyton and Steele, that could mean spending another first-round pick on the tackle position. With all of the holes on defense, that doesn’t sound like a great plan.

That’s where a potential Smith move could be a factor. If they feel better about one of their backup guards or being able to add a veteran guard in free agency than they do about Steele, Guyton could be moved to right tackle, where he played in college, and Smith out to left tackle permanently.

It will all be part of the evaluation process during the offseason.

“Put him at center,” Prescott joked about Smith’s ability. “He can do it all. We’re good at center, but honestly, I mean, he can play whatever he wants. And that’s credit to that guy. I mean, I go back to his rookie year when he was taking all the snaps at guard. Tyron (Smith) is the left tackle, gets hurt the week of the game. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh gosh, they got to put this first-rounder out there who hadn’t taken snaps at tackle all offseason. Can he do it? Will he be good enough?’

“And, the guy goes and has a Pro-Bowl year at left tackle. So then, the next year moving back to guard and All-Pro at guard. The moment they told me this early in the week that we’re going to go with Tyler at left tackle, I was great with it. There was no hesitation in my mind. There was no doubt of what he was going to be able to do and the way that he was going to play. I watched him obviously practice and just his intentionality and his approach. That’s a true football player and we’re blessed to have him on our side. He can play wherever we need him to.”

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