“Look on the bright side” is an oft-used phrase said by terrible people at times of personal despair. The well-meaning blowhards typically follow such a phrase with an explanation as to why this certain negative can also be seen as a positive. Gross, right?
Sometimes the positive is quite easy to identify. Other times it’s not so easy. In the case of the Cowboys’ latest injury to their starting left tackle, Chuma Edoga, there’s a relatively easy positive in which to land; The rookie Tyler Guyton jumps up to LT1.
After limping off the field early in the Cowboys first preseason game of the 2024 season, Edoga has been ruled out for the foreseeable future. A “significant toe injury” may land Edoga on IR, meaning unless someone else is plunked into the pole position, it’s the rookie’s time to shine.
The Cowboys OL suffers a blow.
Veteran Chuma Edoga will likely open the season on IR after suffering a significant injury to his left big toe in the pre-season opener, multiple people w/ knowledge of the injury said.
No surgery, but extensive rehab ahead.
— David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) August 13, 2024
The idea of Guyton starting off as the backup rather than the starter was a point of contention from the start. It would be one thing if multiyear All-Pro Tyron Smith was the veteran blocking his path, but Edoga is no Smith. The third-round journeyman from USC is entering his sixth season in the NFL (second with the Cowboys). Everyone has a pretty clear picture of Edoga by now and that picture is generally painted as a nice backup but problematic starter.
Guyton, the No. 24 overall pick in the 2024 draft, comes with a degree of expectation and pedigree that implies instant impact. The idea the Cowboys were slow playing his installation furrowed more than a few eyebrows in Cowboys Nation. With on-the-job-training often the best training in sports, delaying Guyton’s insertion into the lineup seemingly delays Guyton’s development as a pro.
Since the CBA greatly limits the amount of time players can get together in training camp, every snap Edoga gets with the starters can be seen as a snap stolen from Guyton’s time with the starters. Edoga’s latest injury just removes that roadblock and expediates Guyton’s timeline.
Tyler Guyton, on a pitch count, flashed in a major way in the #Cowboys preseason opener vs. Rams:
“I think I did pretty good and handled my business. It was a workout, of course, but I got the butterflies out [on the] first play. The first time I hit somebody.”
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) August 12, 2024
Based on training camp and the first preseason game, Guyton appears up the task. Coming off an illness he played 21 snaps and didn’t surrender a single pressure. The mammoth 6-foot-7, 328-pound rookie moved unbelievably well for a rookie recently dubbed “a project player.” He has size and athletic ability that can’t be taught. His ceiling is virtually unmatchable as a prospect and his floor may already be at starting-level heights.
Losing a player to an injury is always bad. But in this case, it may work out to the Cowboys’ advantage since it pushes the rookie Guyton into the starting LT role and speeds up a maturation process that was otherwise stunted by a veteran.
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