As Tyron Smith retires, the torch of Dallas Cowboys’ OL prowess is now with Tyler Smith
It was a bittersweet afternoon at the Dallas Cowboys headquarters in Frisco on Wednesday, April 16, as the franchise said goodbye to eight-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Tyron Smith with a ceremonial one-day contract to retire as a member of the team.
“I’m excited for the next chapter,” Smith said in his press conference. “Spending more time with my family and watching my kids grow up. For now, it’s time to go. I got kids to wrestle, and I’m a nighttime baby chef.”
It’s not often you can stamp a player as a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, but that is the type of recognition Smith will deserve when the Pro Football Hall of Fame opens his eligibility in 2030. It’s even rarer to have two members of the same franchise up for the same honor in the same year after Zack Martin’s retirement earlier this offseason. Even more, in the same position group.
The duo represented a long lineage of storied offensive linemen to suit up for the Cowboys, as they each carried multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors over the course of a career that spanned double-digit years. From being drafted in the first round to somehow exceeding those expectations, Smith and Martin represented something much bigger than their dominant play on the field.
They represented Hall of Famer Larry Allen, Nate Newton and Erik Williams of the nineties, Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright, Ralph Neely and John Niland of the seventies. Even when the Cowboys’ overall team success fell short, they represented stonewall trench warriors such as Pat Donovan, Flozell Adams and many more that have protected the quarterback in Dallas.
Even if a Super Bowl never came for the duo of Martin and Smith, something both acknowledged as their only regret from their respective careers, each played a pivotal role in maintaining the storied tradition of the Dallas offensive line.
But as the Cowboys move on from their prized franchise players for good, a transition is now happening in Dallas on its offensive line. Every projected starter in 2025 is 27 years old or younger, and three of the five starters will be different from what the line looked like when Smith departed for the New York Jets in 2023.
Questions exist about who will replace Martin at right guard, if left tackle Tyler Guyton can play to the level of a capable 17-game starter heading into year two and if Terence Steele can improve in pass protection under a new offensive line coach. Center Cooper Beebe provided solid reliability in his rookie season, but how far does his ceiling reach?
But when it comes to fourth-year left guard Tyler Smith, there isn’t any question about his reliability or capability. The only thing that should be asked is just how good he can be.
“I know he’ll go down as one of the greats,” Tyron Smith said on stage during his press conference. “Tyler has come in and set the standard that he wants to be great. He has increasing potential every year. His work ethic and what he puts into this game and how dominant he is on the field, it just shows that he’s getting better. He has potential to be one of the greats.”
“In his first year, you could see the uncommon traits he had,” Martin said after the ceremony. “In his second year, he was very dominant. You could tell that this was going to be a very good player for a long time.”
Smith has already etched his name among the best young linemen in the NFL with two Pro Bowl honors in three years and a second-team All-Pro nod in 2023. His next challenge will be sustaining that level of success over the course of a 10-plus year career to follow the footsteps of the duo that came ushered him into the league.
“He’s got freaky ability and he’s a dominant player,” Martin said. “He’s just got to continue to keep developing. But if he works the way he’s worked since he’s been here, that won’t be a problem.”
In the last two seasons, Smith has allowed a team-low three sacks and 15 quarterback pressures. With an almost certain contract extension coming his way next offseason to remain in Dallas, his potential to build on the standard he has created for himself is massive.
But to live up to the torch he now holds, he’ll have to be better than elite. He’ll have to be almost perfect. And somehow, some way, it’s not impossible to foresee that for one of the league’s brightest young stars.
This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 4:30 PM.
