Tyler Guyton has already missed significant time across his first two NFL seasons, with injuries repeatedly stalling the development. Since arriving as a first-round pick, the young tackle is suddenly facing growing pressure to hold onto his role at the Dallas Cowboys.

During the recent episode of the Landry Hat aired on June 24, host Zach listed the stock up and stock down Cowboys players after the voluntary OTAs and mandatory minicamp, and Guyton was listed as No. 1 stock down.

"The Cowboys openly made a competition between him and Nate Thomas, but also Drew Shelton,” Zach said. “And it's just a first-round tackle with that frame literally built to be an NFL tackle."

After being drafted overall 29th in 2024, Guyton went from appearing in 15 to 10 games last year.

"To be in the conversation and have people talking about whether you're going to lose your job to a seventh-round offensive lineman [Nate Thomas], and a fourth-round rookie [Drew Shelton] could potentially get in there if he plays better than you. That's not great," he further stated in the Landry Hat podcast.

Though Guyton was a 2024 first-round pick by the Cowboys, his production never met the expectations of the team, as his performance was inconsistent due to constant injuries. 

Though Guyton started 11 games in his rookie year, he missed the final two games of the 2024 season and the training camp of 2025 due to knee and shoulder injuries. 

He started 10 games in 2025 at left tackle but sat out for the rest of the season after suffering an ankle injury (missing 3 games). He has played only 25 (starting 21) out of 34 possible regular-season games with the Cowboys. 

"Now, it could just be Brian Schottenheimer trying to push him a little bit, create some competition, make him better," Zach said during the Landry Hat show. "But still, that shouldn't happen. You've got the wide receivers, you've got the quarterback, you've got the running back, and you have the interior of the offensive line. What you don't have is good, consistent tackle play."

Zach believes that there shouldn't be a competition at the LT position in the first place, considering Guyton to be a third-year player, and not a rookie who needs an extra push to be a starter. In these three years, newer players have emerged who could give Dallas stability.

Nate Thomas is emerging as a serious threat to Tyler Guyton’s role

Michael Gallagher of Newsweek believes that Guyton's absence due to injuries and inconsistent play has led Thomas to step up and play at his best, making him a potential threat to Guyton's starter role at LT

"He’s athletic, versatile, and he isn’t the liability Guyton is with drawing flags," Gallagher wrote in his Newsweek article. "Thomas and Guyton’s run-blocking ability is pretty equal, and while Guyton is the better pass-blocker right now, some around the Cowboys believe Thomas could pass him in that area if he continues to develop."

Thomas has started four of 17 games played in 2025, playing 341 overall offensive snaps, with 317 snaps at the LT position. He allowed three sacks, 23 pressures, and four QB hits.

With training camp set to begin on July 28, Thomas has positioned himself as a qualified competitor for the starting LT spot, increasing the pressure on Guyton to solidify his position.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote