Tag: Tyler Guyton

Cowboys rookie LT Tyler Guyton faces toughest challenge of year in Week 1

Fortunately for the rookie, it’s all up from Week 1 when it comes to first-year difficulties. | From @ReidDHanson

The Cowboys are going to find out pretty darn quickly this season what they have in their rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton. The heir to Tyron Smith has big shoes to fill and arguably the toughest match-up in the NFL right of the gate in 2024.

Facing Cleveland in their Week 1 showdown, Guyton is slated to face off against Myles Garrett, a three time All-Pro and reining NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Garrett, 6-foot-4, 272-pounds, is the league’s preeminent pass rusher. According to Pro Football Focus Garrett rushed 666 snaps from the right side (facing the LT) compared to just 121 from the left (facing the RT). That puts the rookie Guyton right in his cross hairs.

This situation is something many in Dallas circled with fear on their calendars after the Cowboys first selected Guyton with the 29th pick in the draft. Seen as an unpolished developmental player, the idea of Guyton facing Garrett sent chills up the collective spine of Cowboys Nation. It was so frightening of a thought, many, including the team themselves, penciled journeyman Chuma Edoga in as the starting LT for Week 1.

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After working with renowned offensive line guru Duke Manyweather in the spring, Guyton came to training camp humming. His work ethic and ability to quickly digest and implement technical skills was something the scouting reports clearly missed. Guyton progressed at a rapid rate in Oxnard, not just looking like the LT of the future but also the LT of the present. An unfortunate injury to Edoga facilitated the move to the starting lineup and now Guyton gets ready to put his newly acquired skills to the ultimate test.

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Garrett isn’t the only tough draw on Guyton’s schedule. There’s a three week stretch in October where Guyton faces T.J. Watt, Aiden Hutchinson and Nick Bosa in consecutive weeks. It’s murder’s row of pass rushers on the docket but if Guyton can hold up against Garrett in Week 1, logic says he should be able to handle the others down the road.

It’s likely the Cowboys will send help in Guyton’s direction from time to time. Terence Steele has been said to have had a solid summer. If he can hold his own at RT, the Cowboys can roll protections Guyton’s way against Garrett. There’s no shame in getting help against Garrett and frankly the survival of the offense may depend on it.

Even if Guyton struggles on Sunday there’s nowhere to go but up in his development. He started the process extremely raw but possess an elite skillset that indicates the sky is the limit for the young tackle. His work-ethic and learning curve also indicate he’s a pretty safe bet to make it as a prospect this season.

They say you play the cards you’re delt and Guyton got delt a pretty tough hand with Garrett in Week 1, but the rookie appears up to the challenge and Cowboys success in 2024 may depend on it.

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Pair of Sooners rookie offensive tackles PFF’s highest graded in NFL Preseason

Tyler Guyton and Walter Rouse are the highest graded rookie offensive tackles in the NFL preseason according to Pro Football Focus.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the midst of an offensive line rebuild, losing four of their primary starters to the NFL and two of those guys are making a ton of noise in NFL preseason.

[autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] with the Dallas Cowboys and [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] of the Minnesota Vikings are Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded offensive tackles in NFL preseason.

Now, it’s just the preseason, but it’s a strong start to their careers for the former Sooners offensive tackles. Guyton has been the talk of the preseason, replacing All-Pro and future Hall of Fame offensive tackle Tyron Smith. After being selected in the first round, Guyton went to work with offensive line trainer Duke Manyweather and has made a seamless transition from playing right tackle to left tackle.

Walter Rouse was taken in the sixth round by the Vikings. Rouse is currently projected to be the backup in Minnesota, but he’s earned a roster spot and a chance to develop and compete for snaps down the road.

The two players arrived at Oklahoma at various states of their development. Rouse was a graduate transfer from Stanford and played a significant role in a Sooners offense that averaged 40 points per game last season. His block of two Texas Longhorns allowed Dillon Gabriel just enough time to find Nic Anderson in the back of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

Guyton came to Oklahoma after two seasons with the TCU Horned Frogs, where he played defensive end and tight end before making the switch to offensive tackle. In two seasons with the Sooners, Guyton flourished. First he was the backup offensive tackle, starting a few games for Wanya Morris in the 2022 season before taking over as the starting right tackle last season.

Rouse and Guyton are notable feathers in the cap of offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag]. That developmental success is why there’s so much trust and belief in Oklahoma’s ability to reload along the offensive line despite losing the five guys who started for the majority of the 2023 season.

There are a number of players who’ve come through Oklahoma to go on to have successful NFL careers and Rouse and Guyton look like they’re on a strong trajectory to be next on the list.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Good news, bad news for Cowboys’ depth issues at offensive tackle

The Cowboys are exceptionally suspect in their OT depth, placing much pressure on the starters to stay healthy says @ReidDHanson.

The Cowboys couldn’t be happier with the development of rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton. The first round pick out of Oklahoma is every bit as advertised athletically, and his learning curve has exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations.

The Cowboys are similarly pleased with the rehabilitation of veteran right tackle, Terence Steele. The homegrown tackle is hoping to put his disappointing 2023 season behind him. Another year removed from his nasty knee injury late in 2022, Steele is looking closer to his pre-injury self.

Both accounts serve as good news for the offense since the options behind them are worrisome, to say the least. Chuma Edoga, the original starting LT in training camp, is expected to be out multiple weeks after suffering a significant toe injury. And Earl Bostick, a promising depth OT, suffered a season-ending leg injury and has been placed on IR. Dallas signed OT Cohl Cabral to compensate the loss, but he’s not seen as much more than a camp body at this point.

Depth responsibilities have fallen onto the shoulders of a pair of former fifth-round picks, Matt Waletzko and Asim Richards. While both players have shown signs of development, neither appear to be ready to fill in as an OT starter anytime soon. Before the rash of injuries, Waletzko was projected by many to miss the Cowboys’ final 53-man cut altogether. As for Richards, he has outside flex but currently looks better at the guard position.

Even with some questions still percolating regarding the play of Guyton and Steele, the falloff from the starters to the back-ups appears to be extremely significant. So much so, Mike McCarthy will likely have to change the offensive design if either starter goes down.

With Waletzko playing RT against the Raiders staters last week, Dallas seemed to actively avoid plays which required Cooper Rush to be in the pocket very long. Three-step drops and quick read plays dominated the play-calling. It’s certainly a situation the Cowboys want to avoid because it bleeds into so many other areas of the offense.

Some have suggested the Cowboys could trade for a veteran or scour the waiver wire after final cuts are made but it’s unlikely either avenue would offer anything much better than what Richards and Waletzko offer. For as unready as the pair looks today, they are progressing as prospects so it’s fair to say part of the good news lies in their upside. As long as both starters can stay healthy through the first portion of the season, the Cowboys won’t have to throw Richards or Waletzko into the fire.

The good news is Guyton and Steele have a relatively healthy injury history. Obviously, Steele lost time from the aforementioned knee injury late in 2022, but even then, he only missed a total of four regular season games. He bounced back in record time and played all 17 games in 2023. That knee injury is the only blemish on his four-year record in Dallas.

As a rookie Guyton doesn’t have the professional track record to reference that Steele does but based on his college scouting reports, he only had one undisclosed injury on his record, playing in all but one game. In the preseason Guyton missed practice time from an illness but was immediately tossed back into action when Edoga suddenly went down against the Rams. It speaks to his ability to rebound and perform under less-than-ideal circumstances.

Both Steele and Guyton appear to be durable players capable of physically holding up throughout the season. The Cowboys will need that because the depth pieces behind them aren’t ready.

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It’s officially time to exhale over Cowboys’ No. 1 draft pick

An evaluation of Tyler Guyton’s performance by an NFL OL expert should calm overarching fears about him stepping into Tyron Smith’s shoes. | From @KDDrummondNFL

When the Cowboys were once again slotted in the bottom 10 picks of the first round, there was serious concern over the talent they’d be able to acquire. Dallas has had the luxury of not needing to select any particular position the prior two drafts because their star players were all locked into contracts for a few years and the team was doing well.

After another early playoff exit, a free agency period that saw no additions,  two OL starters departed and 30 players slated to be free agents next offseason, that luxury was gone. Dallas had to secure OL talent and picking No. 24 meant they were likely going to have to select a player with a second-round grade (as there are normally 15-20 first-round grades in a given class).

And then Dallas traded back from No. 24 in order to acquire an extra third rounder before selected Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton. Guyton was the eighth collegiate offensive tackle taken in the round.

There were concerns, especially considering how unwell 2023’s first-round pick Mazi Smith fared in his rookie campaign.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the regular season. Guyton appears to be yet another Will McClay home run and fans who felt a bit queasy about the transition from future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith, allowed to leave in free agency, can now breath a sigh of relief.

Guyton, who had been dealing with an illness all week leading up to the first exhibition game, performed extremely well when he got his turn against the Los Angeles Rams. Former NFL OT Geoff Schwartz and current analyst recently broke down his film in a 9-minute video.

Schwartz focuses on the improvements Guyton has made in the areas of concern in his college tape, such as an inability to strike and lift edge defenders. He certainly wasn’t perfect in his performance, there’s teaching elements to what Schwartz is identifying, but there’s so much to love about his play once he entered the game. Violence.

Guyton has already followed up that performance with a stout day in joint practice No. 2 with those same Rams.

There will likely be some growing pains, as there always are, but Guyton lined up next to Tyler Smith appears to be a beautiful left side combination for years to come.

 

Misfortune leads Cowboys LT Tyler Guyton to huge opportunity

Tyler Guyton gets a big opportunity on the Cowboys following the unfortunate injury to Chuma Edoga. | From @ReidDHanson

“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 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.

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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Cowboys lose starting LT to injury for at least 4 weeks, maybe longer

Cowboys left tackle Chuma Edgo will reportedly miss four-to six weeks with a broken toe he suffered against the Rams. | From @ArmyChiefW3

Cowboys left tackle Chuma Edoga injured his foot during the preseason-opening loss to the Rams on Sunday, and was later seen on the sidelines sporting a walking boot. According to 105.3 The Fan’s Cowboys insider Bobby Belt, Edoga is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with a broken toe.

With the Cowboys less than four weeks away from their regular season opener in Cleveland, 2024 first-round tackle Tyler Guyton is now expected to begin the season protecting quarterback Dak Prescott’s blindside.

Edoga was signed for depth purposes last season, starting six games for the Cowboys. He was re-signed this offseason for another go after Dallas allowed Tyron Smith to leave during free agency. Dallas had previously attempted to trade for Edoga while he was a member of the Jets in 2022.

The team will now move forward with Guyton as the presumed starter but the depth behind him may force Dallas to shuffle a few players around.

Offensive lineman Asim Richards will likely receive the first chance to fill the all-important swing tackle role. Richards was a three-year college starter for the University of North Carolina and logged 38 starts for the Tar-Heels.

Richards has looked more comfortable at guard which may spur a different route for Dallas.

Other options include Cowboys 2021 fourth-round tackle Josh Ball, who has dealt with multiple injuries limiting his career to just 13 games with zero starts.

Matt Waletzko, who was taken in the fifth round of the 2022 draft by the Cowboys is another name to watch. Like Ball, Waltezko’s on-field experience has been limited, playing in just four contests entering his third season.

The Cowboys could look to the open market to see if any remaining free agents interest them. Veterans such as David Bakhtiari, Charles Leno, Duane Brown, and Donovan Smith headline the list of players who could potentially come to Dallas.

With final cutdown day of Tuesday, August 27 at 4 p.m. ET right around the corner, Dallas must make a timely decision so they don’t lose a player they wanted to keep because of an untimely injury.

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Danny Stutsman featured on CBS Sports top 50 NFL draft big board

Oklahoma will need to take another step forward on defense in 2024.

The 2024 college football season is right around the corner, but some are already looking ahead to next April. That’s when the 2025 NFL Draft will be held, and if you follow football, you know that some analysts cover the draft year-round.

CBS Sports analyst Ryan Wilson released his annual preseason Top 50 Draft Board on Monday, identifying the best pro prospects in college football before the season gets rolling. He has one OU player inside of his top 32.

Oklahoma Sooners linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] cracks the first round at No. 28 overall on Wilson’s list. He’s the third-ranked linebacker behind LSU‘s Harold Perkins and Clemson‘s Barrett Carter.

Stutsman’s much anticipated senior season comes after he led the Sooners with 104 tackles in 2023, including 16 for a loss. He had three sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery last year, as well as his pick-six against Tulsa. He also had three pass breakups in coverage.

He only played in a little over eleven games last season and the Sooners were 10-1 in games he started and finished, only losing against Arizona in the Alamo Bowl. His injury early in the the Kansas loss led to him being held out the next week, a loss against Oklahoma State. Those were the only two games OU failed to win during the regular season, and both came right down to the wire.

Stutsman’s presence in the middle of Oklahoma’s defense is huge for head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag]. He’s become the heart and soul of the unit and gives OU a chance to make another leap on the defensive side of the ball in 2024.

Heading into the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], the Sooners will need to start putting even more players into the NFL, especially on the defensive side of the ball if they want to keep up in recruiting and the portal. Though the Sooners have produced seven first round picks in the last decade, six of them have come on the offensive side of the ball. Two have come in the last two years, both on the offensive line ([autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] in 2023 and [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] in 2024).

[autotag]Kenneth Murray[/autotag] is the only first-rounder on defense in that time period, all the way back in 2020. The early days of the [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] era, when Venables was the co-defensive coordinator, produced first-rounders on defense on a number of occasions.

Stutsman is trying to be the first to restart that trend, and with another good season this year could find himself selected in the first 32 picks when April rolls around.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Tyler Guyton calls Cowboys debut ‘dream come true’; Rams LB might disagree

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 1st-round draft pick played more than expected due to an injury on the Dallas OL. At least one Rams defender probably wishes he hadn’t.

Tyler Guyton grew up a Texas kid, a Cowboys fan in a family full of Cowboys fans. So getting to take the field in the silver and blue as the team’s most recent first-round draft pick was a very big deal for the left tackle.

A “dream come true,” he called it.

“I just thought about all the times that I’ve watched the Cowboys play,” Guyton told reporters Sunday after the team’s preseason opener, the first time the 22-year-old had been in full uniform, complete with the star logo on his helmet. “It’s really been years and years of me watching, and finally getting to play was super cool to me. I know that my family is super excited. I’m also super excited about it. I just wish we would have won.”

The one-point loss in the exhibition game won’t count toward the team’s final record, but the occasion will live forever for Guyton as the moment he truly became a Cowboy. And as the club’s apparent left tackle of the future, it was an auspicious debut.

“I thought I did pretty good, handled my business,” he said. “Things to work on, of course, but I got the butterflies out.”

In fact, Guyton says it took him exactly one play to shake off the jitters. The 6-foot-8, 322-pounder came in after starter Chuma Edoga left with a foot injury in the opening quarter, and he made his massive presence felt immediately.

It was reassuring to see, especially after the rookie missed several days of practice in the week leading up to the game with an illness. But Guyton promises it’s nothing to be concerned about moving forward.

“I’m feeling good,” he said. “Working my way back.”

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Guyton had actually reached his planned snap count by halftime, according to Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, but he was able to get some solid extra work in the second half with Edoga out.

“Felt good about where he was conditionwise with the illness,” McCarthy explained from the podium. “He was able to get back and play some.”

Much to the chagrin, likely, of Rams linebacker Zach VanValkenburg. The third-year defender found himself lined up across from No. 60 often and was on the receiving end of several major collisions, including one where Guyton absolutely blew up both VanValkenburg and Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Cropper, who was already blocking him.

Cowboys fans may have mentally checked the box that Guyton is the real deal. But for the first-year Oklahoma product, it was just a first step, and there’s still a ton to absorb this preseason.

“We can learn from every single play,” he told media members. “Different looks that we’re going to get from different teams. And we’ll play the Rams again, so I think we’ll learn a lot.”

Guyton will see the Rams again soon: this week at a second joint practice between the clubs and then maybe again in the postseason. But there will certainly be rematches down the road of what promises to be- at least based on Sunday’s dream come true- a long and successful Cowboys career.

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Cowboys LT Chuma Edoga ruled out with foot injury

The sixth-year veteran went out in the first quarter and will not return.

The Cowboys have continued to list veteran journeyman Chuma Edoga as the starter at left tackle. This despite Dallas drafting Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton in the first round this past April and Guyton having a generally strong training camp. Edoga was part of Sunday’s starting lineup as well, but his time on the field didn’t last very long.

Edoga was out of the lineup rather quickly, replaced by Guyton, and word has come down why the swap. Edoga suffered a toe injury, and has since been ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Guyton is on track to start, but he wasn’t expected to play much on Sunday as he’s been dealing with an illness. He lasted one series before being taken out.

Entering his sixth season, Edoga was re-signed to a one-year deal this offseason after being brought in 2023 to backup Tyler Smith. Things didn’t go especially well in his six starts, so it was surprising to many that Dallas decided he would be the veteran of choice after letting Smith walk in free agency. Even more surprising was the continuation of him being ahead of Guyton on the depth chart, but Guyton will now get his chance to refuse to let go of the role.

 

Former Sooners offensive lineman standing out at Dallas Cowboys training camp

Former Oklahoma Sooners offensive tackle a star of Dallas Cowboys training camp.

Fall camp is underway for the Oklahoma Sooners and NFL training camps are off and running as well. Games are 30 days away but it feels like football season is here.

There are a number of Sooners making their way through training camp for the first time. After being selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, offensive tackle [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] is off and running during his rookie year.

Between minicamps, OTA’s and Dallas Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, California, Guyton continued doing what he’s done since his arrival in Norman; put in the work.

Guyton shared with Patrik Walker, who covers the Dallas Cowboys for DallasCowboys.com, “Every day. Every day. I didn’t take a trip. I didn’t go on vacation. I stayed and worked with Duke every single day. For one, I got stronger. I toned up my body and also refined my technique within my set and my balance.”

In the early going, Guyton has been one of the stars of training camp with America’s Team. The work he’s put in has been evident. Guyton is being tested daily against one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, former Penn State Nittany Lions star Micah Parsons. Guyton is not only holding his own, but defeating the All-Pro edge in team drills.

Fellow DallasCowboys.com writer Nick Harris had this to say:

With the eyeballs glued to the action up front, Guyton turned in a strong day of work that featured multiple wins against Micah Parsons and second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland both in 11-on-11 action and one-on-one drills. The day remained consistent for the Oklahoma product as he walked off the field with a huge first day in pads. – Harris, DallasCowboys.com

It’s a great start to what will be a promising career for Guyton. He’s continued to develop from his time with the Sooners and is off to a fabulous start with the Dallas Cowboys.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.