Tag: Tyler Guyton

Cowboys unable to evaluate former 1st-round pick due to injury after injury

In order for the Cowboys to properly evaluate Tyler Guyton at LT they have to keep him on the field, says @ReidDHanson.

When the Cowboys selected Oklahoma right tackle Tyler Guyton in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, they knew the pick came with some baggage. Not only was the 6-foot-8, 322-pound prospect underdeveloped, but he was also a bit injury prone, missing three games each of his last two seasons.

As advertised, the Cowboys have experienced all that and more from their struggling rookie. Guyton has already missed two games in 2024 and after suffering what he called a high ankle sprain on Thanksgiving Day, he stands to miss even more time.

Various bumps and bruises have bounced the Cowboys left tackle from the field to the bench multiple times this season. For a player whom Pro Football Focus graded 71st of 76 offensive tackles, they are snaps this struggling rookie cannot afford to miss.

Guyton has allowed five sacks and 23 pressures in 2024. He’s second in the NFL in penalties (16) at his position and he’s only played 10 games. Mind you, none of this is surprising because he was always billed as a project player whom teams would have to patiently develop. It’s the injury situation that’s really the problematic trait that’s followed him because it stalls his development and delays the Cowboys evaluation of the 23-year-old.

Guyton, a right tackle in college, has been plugged into the left side since coming to Dallas. Ideally, the Cowboys want to make him the cornerstone piece on the blindside, but if that transition fails, they always have the right side to fall back on. That’s not a move they’d make midseason already but if given enough snaps to review, it’s a move they could make as soon as the 2025 offseason.

The 2024 season is largely a season of evaluation across the offensive line. Guyton and fellow rookie starter Cooper Beebe are obviously new to the unit, and players like T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman are under evaluation for bigger roles in the future. Tyler Smith has LT ability if needs be, but Plan A is clearly to make Guyton the LT.

The various combinations could fall a number of different ways in 2025, but it all starts with making a determination on Guyton this year and that can’t happen with him limping off the field every other week.

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Cowboys fumble twice on one play as Texans wind up with scoop-and-score

A crazy play saw the Cowboys fumble twice and the Texans’ Derek Barnett wind up with a TD

Just when you thought 2024 couldn’t get worse for the Dallas Cowboys, it did.

Cooper Rush fumbled the football in the fourth quarter on Monday against the Houston Texans.

Tyler Guyton picked it up only to cough up the football again.

This time Derek Barnett collected the loose ball and returned it 28 yards for the touchdown.

2nd & 6 at DAL 40
(12:31 – 4th) (Shotgun) C.Rush sacked at DAL 33 for -7 yards (D.Barnett). FUMBLES (D.Barnett), recovered by DAL-T.Guyton at DAL 33. T.Guyton to DAL 32 for -1 yards (J.Pitre). FUMBLES (J.Pitre), RECOVERED by HST-D.Barnett at DAL 28. D.Barnett for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN. K.Fairbairn extra point is GOOD, Center-J.Weeks, Holder-T.Townsend.

The Texans led 27-10 after the quirky play.

Another Cowboys starter ‘very limited’ in practice ahead of divisional clash

From @ToddBrock24f7: Tyler Guyton sat out 1 series in Atlanta with a neck injury; now it’s threatening to sideline him for Sunday’s tilt with the Eagles.

Halloween may feel like it was eons ago, but things are still downright scary for the Cowboys roster as they head into a divisional tilt this weekend looking like a veritable skeleton crew.

To be sure, the latest news from along the offensive line could end being more trick than treat for a backup quarterback already getting his first start in over two years.

Rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton is dealing with a neck/shoulder injury, said Mike McCarthy on Friday. The Cowboys head coach called Guyton “very limited” in practice, having taken just “minimal reps” in the day’s walkthrough session.

“He’s fighting through it,” McCarthy added.

That does not sound overwhelmingly encouraging when forecasting his status for Sunday’s game versus the Philadelphia Eagles.

Guyton apparently suffered the injury during the first half of last week’s loss to Atlanta. Second-year man Asim Richards took over for him to start the second half, and although the first-round draft pick returned for the offense’s next possession, the issue was apparently serious enough to keep the 23-year-old officially listed as “limited” on both Wednesday and Thursday of this week. (Friday’s report had not yet been released as of this writing.)

The team will already be without starting quarterback Dak Prescott. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is less than 100% with the lingering aftereffects of an AC shoulder sprain, Brandin Cooks is still on injured reserve, and right guard Zack Martin missed two days of work earlier this week with a shoulder injury of his own.

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(While McCarthy said that Martin “did everything in the [Friday] walkthrough,” it is not yet decided if he’ll be able to go on Sunday. T.J. Bass would be the likely replacement if Martin cannot suit up.)

Backup quarterback Cooper Rush could indeed be seeing a lot of familiar faces from the second team in the Cowboys’ huddle come gametime.

Richards was a fifth-round draft pick last year out of North Carolina. He played on a total of 39 offensive snaps as a rookie and another 23 so far this season.

Guyton has been in on over 77% of the offense’s snaps through eight games, but he leads the team in enforced penalties (and is tied for second-most in the league) with nine.

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Cowboys suddenly questioning work ethic of benched 1st-round pick?

Tyler Guyton is at a crossroads with the Cowboys in 2024 and his projection might be the culprit. | From @ReidDHanson

When the Cowboys selected Tyler Guyton with their first pick in the 2024 draft, a significant number of fans and draftniks were upset. Guyton wasn’t seen as a very “NFL ready” prospect. Like the first rounder who came before him, Mazi Smith, he was more wishful thinking than responsible use of draft resources.

If anything, the most redeeming quality of Guyton was his urgency to develop and his work ethic, far more than his skillset or realistic developmental arch. Immediately upon his selection, Guyton arrived at  North Texas staple OL Masterminds to work with offensive line guru Duke Manyweather.

Guyton’s drive to hit the ground running in training camp, combined with the consul he sought via such a reputable sensei in Manyweather, made him a darling in Cowboys Nation and topic of conversation throughout training camp.

Now it seems, that work ethic and/or optimistic progression might be in question. When discussing Guyton’s absence from the field during Sunday afternoon’s butt-kicking, Calvin Watkins was told this:

“Like I told Tyler [Guyton] last week: you have to practice every day,” Mike McCarthy said. “You’re not going to get where you want to be, because it’s all about those five linemen getting out there every single day and getting those reps. When that doesn’t happen it can be bumpy, and that’s what we’re going through right now.”

One can certainly infer this is in regard to the old adage, “you don’t practice, you don’t play.” Offensive line play is something that requires continuity and as such, just because a young player can physically play, doesn’t mean he is mentally ready.

Guyton was active in Week 6, but not necessarily a viable option. The Cowboys opted for Tyler Smith to start at left tackle. In Smith’s place at left guard they put OL6, T.J. Bass. When the beatdown reached its event horizon, the Cowboys brought Asim Richards in close out the game at LT.

Guyton remained on the sideline.

Continuity is a valid argument until someone like Richards, a player with 18 snaps at LT, replaces Guyton, a player with 291 snaps at LT, on the quarterback’s blindside. Suddenly it seems a message is being sent to the Cowboys No. 1 draft pick.

While it’s possible this is reading into the situation more than it warrants, the question of Guyton’s work ethic is a reasonable one to make. Are the Cowboys sending him a message? Guyton has the physical characteristics of a good NFL LT, but what does he lack in other regards?

Maybe this is all sensationalism, and Guyton is a guy we always thought he was.

Maybe the Cowboys are just dealing with him like a long-term project who needs recovery time and refinement?

Or maybe they’re trying to light a fire and get this draft pick to go the extra mile in his development.

It’s safe to say every explanation is on the table.

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Cowboys benching 1st-round OL pick ahead of crucial Week 6 matchup, Lions Aidan Hutchinson

The Cowboys are sitting Tyler Guyton with a formidable Hutchinson looking to wreak havoc on the Dallas offense. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys have some shifts in their starting lineups in Week 6, and it’s not entirely due to injury. With Eric Kendricks out for the game, rookie fourth-round pick Marist Liufau is going to wear the green dot, allowing communication directly with defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. That one has been expected as Kendricks missed all week of practice with a back injury, and was ruled out on Friday.

What wasn’t expected was that Tyler Guyton, the club’s first-round pick, would be benched for the game. Guyton injured his knee relatively early in Dallas’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was listed as questionable to return, but never did as left guard Tyler Smith slid outside and the offense stabilized.

Dallas has announced via sideline reporter Kristi Scales, that Guyton will not start against Aidan Hutchinson and the Detroit Lions, despite being a full participant in practice all week. Guyton had no injury designation on Friday’s injury report.

Guyton has struggled so far in his rookie year, in both pass protection and run blocking. The Cowboys had their first worthwhile ground effort of the season in Week 6, and it primarily happened when Smith returned to the role he played as a rookie in 2022, and TJ Bass came in at left guard.

Guyton has allowed four sacks on the year, along with 13 pressures. Pro Football Focus has graded the Oklahoma product a 49.0 in pass protection, a red grade indicating he’s below replacement level.

His run-block grade hasn’t been much better, 52.5.

Smith, who had a great pass pro grade prior to sliding outside against the Steelers, didn’t fare much better than Guyton’s average, grading out at a 54.2 in that contest. But he turned in an impressive run blocking performance. Meanwhile Bass graded out at a lowly 11.0 on 31 pass sets.

It will be interesting to see if the change is a net positive for the Dallas offense.

Should Cowboys show first-round rookie patience or focus on winning in 2024?

Tyler Guyton was supposed to struggle as a rookie, the Cowboys just need to stay committed. | From @ReidDHanson

When Tyler Guyton fell to injury in the Cowboys’ Week 5 matchup against Pittsburgh, some saw it as a possible blessing in disguise. That’s because Guyton was replaced by the Cowboys All-Pro left guard, Tyler Smith, a player with previous experience at the left tackle position and someone seen as an instant upgrade. The move outside for Smith required Dallas’ top reserve lineman, T.J. Bass, to take over the vacated LG spot. Overall, it gave fans, who were growing increasingly nervous with the Cowboys pass protection, a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.

Left tackle is considered a core position in the NFL. If a team doesn’t have a good one, they probably won’t be a high-producing offense. Protecting the quarterback’s blindside is Job 1 on a LT’s task list because just one break in the dam can lose a game or end a QB’s season.

The Cowboys clearly valued the position when they made Guyton their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. After letting former All-Pro Tyron Smith leave in free agency, Dallas had an obvious need.

Drafting near the end of the round it was obvious Dallas wouldn’t get the pick of the litter. Guyton represented the ninth offensive linemen taken in 2024. He was unpolished and untested. He offered a tremendous ceiling, but most scouts agreed he also would require tremendous patience.

A promising start to training camp and the preseason caused many to forget his expected career arch and led them to recalibrate rookie expectations. Just two seasons prior the Cowboys slid another rookie, the aforementioned Tyler Smith, into the starting LT spot in Week 1 and they were pleasantly rewarded. Why not have the same expectations for Guyton?

The answer to that is Tyler Smith was an exception to the norm and therefore a bit of an anomaly. As the most penalized offensive tackle in football, Smith was supposed to struggle early as well, he just didn’t. To expect the Cowboys to hit the lottery like that again two years later was probably a touch too optimistic.

So when Guyton started his rookie campaign with growing pains, many were taken back with disappointment. Five weeks into the season Guyton is grading out as the 71st OT in the NFL (out of 78 graded). His four sacks given up are second most in the league. He’s also second in penalties and 10th in overall pressures (just one behind Terence Steele). It’s safe to say he’s not good, but it’s also safe to say none of this is unexpected.

The Cowboys are sticking with their guy. Despite some fan urging to keep Smith at LT and Guyton to the bench or to replace Steele at right tackle, the Cowboys appear to be committed to the cause.

They knew developing him would be a process and have the long-term goals in mind. They know Guyton needs practice and needs reps to reach the heights they think he’s capable of, and the only way to do that is live action on the field.

With all of that said, the risk is real, and it could cost the Cowboys the 2024 season. Guyton’s a liability in pass protection and a danger to Dak Prescott. Mike McCarthy has done a good job of rolling Prescott out of the pocket to the right side and giving his young LT help whenever possible, but even with that Guyton’s a league leader in pressures allowed.

The Cowboys are committed to developing Guyton because they know, in the long run, it’s the smart thing to do. Guyton has a long way to go but they knew that when they picked him. His play shouldn’t be seen as disappointing because he was always supposed to be a project player like this. Patience is required and with any luck a commitment to his development will start to produce positive results in the not-too-distant future.

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Cowboys Top-5 2024 draft picks all mentioned in Dane Brugler’s All-Rookie teams after 4 weeks

The Cowboys had more than their fair share of rookies make The Athletic All-Rookie teams through a quarter of the season. | From @KDDrummondNFL

There were 259 players selected in this past April’s NFL draft. Another 350 undrafted free agents signed with teams immediately following the weekend, adding over 600 new faces to NFL rosters. So for the Dallas Cowboys’ haul to have five different rookies be mentioned among the best rookie performers through the first four games of the season is impressive on it’s own.

For them to go five-for-five with their first five picks from the draft in being mentioned among the 90 best rookies identified by The Athletic’s draft guru Dane Brugler is a testament to Will McClay’s scouting department getting back on track in the immediate return department.

Brugler went position by position, identifying who he would name to the All-Rookie team, who would be the runner up and then added a varying number of honorable mentions. And while none of the Cowboys’ picks were named to the quote-unquote first team, they did have a runner up and four players in the honorable mention.

The math is easy; 32 teams, 90 players identified means the average team should have 2 to 3 players mentioned. Dallas had five. Part of that is the big ask being placed on this year’s rookie class to play early. Caelen Carson isn’t mentioned if Daron Bland doesn’t hurt his foot and go on IR. Two rookie OL don’t start if the team didn’t let Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz walk. But the fact remains the Cowboys’ rookie class is acquitting themselves extremely well so far in 2024.

Here’s who ranked where, according to Brugler.

LT Tyler Guyton – Honorable Mention for tackles
C Cooper Beebe – Runner-Up for interior OL
DE Marshawn Kneeland – Runner-Up for edge rushers
LB Marist Liafau – Runner-Up for linebackers
CB Caelen Carson – Runner-Up for cornerbacks

Cowboys 1st-rounder Tyler Guyton off to a rough NFL start

Cowboys 1st-rounder Tyler Guyton off to a rough NFL start that everyone got to see on Thursday Night Football

The Dallas Cowboys made a big decision when they allowed their franchise cornerstone at left tackle in Tyron Smith to walk in free agency to the New York Jets. Granted, the money to pay Smith had to be sacrificed to pay their young stars, but the effects of Smith’s absence has been felt this season, especially on Thursday night against the New York Giants.

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The Cowboys drafted Tyler Guyton in the first round of the 2024 NFL Drafts as a means to replace Smith, but to this point Guyton has not been as rock solid as the team had hoped. On the season so far Guyton has given up 4 sacks and has been penalized a league high 7 times. All this came to a boiling point on Thursday, and while the Cowboys did escape New York with a win, Guyton was a glaring weakness along the offensive line. Both New York edge rushers in Kayvon Thibodeux and Brian Burns had their way with the rookie. Guyton was called for holding thrice against the duo and struggled to seal them off in the running attack.

While it has been troubling, Guyton has been by no means a bust. It’s important to have patience with rookies, especially at one of the more difficult positions to nail down. Guyton has had his ups and his downs, but he should be able to continue to develop into the bookend tackle that Dallas hoped for when they took him 29th overall.

Ravens vs. Cowboys: Top photos from 28-25 win at AT&T Stadium

We’re looking at the top photos from the Baltimore Ravens 28-25 win over the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium

For one week, we thought John Harbaugh’s team would be entering the 2024 regular season.

All-world running back Derrick Henry ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns, MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson logged a passing and rushing score, and the Baltimore Ravens held on for a 28-25 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday after blowing a 22-point fourth-quarter lead.

Baltimore (1-2) scored touchdowns on their first two drives, while the Cowboys (1-2) have allowed 120 points in their past three home games.

With the final results, here are the top photos from Sunday’s massive win.

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Week 2 vs Saints gives Cowboys rookies another opportunity to shine

After strong Week 1 performances, a seemingly deep group of rookies look to establish consistency against the Saints. | From @cdpiglet

Dallas put a lot of pressure on their rookie class this year by asking six different players to make significant contributions right from the start of the season. They excelled against the Cleveland Browns, what will they have in store for the New Orleans Saints?

In Week 1, Tyler Guyton had to start and play opposite the reigning defensive player of the year, Myles Garrett. Cooper Beebe started his first game as an NFL center and had to deal with the mammoth Dalvin Tomlinson. Caelen Carson had the tough task of covering former Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper, Marshawn Kneeland, and Brevyn Spann-Ford played plenty of snaps in rotation.

The rookies passed all the first tests with excellent grades. Beebe led all rookie offensive linemen in pass-blocking snaps without a pressure allowed, Carson held Cooper to only two receptions for 16 yards with two pass breakups, and Kneeland had six pressures, the third most on the team. Expectations will rise now, and the players might need to elevate their play depending on their matchup and expectations.

Guyton survived against Garrett and is now asked to handle veteran Cameron Jordan, one of the better defensive ends in the league. Carson has to try to lock up tough matchups in Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.  Kneeland faces off with fellow rookie Taliese Fuaga, who didn’t allow a single pressure in his first game. For rookies, it’s important to flash their upside, but imperative to establish consistency from week to week. Can this group loaded with potential have similar performances in Week 2?

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or YouTube on the Across the Cowboys Podcast