Cowboys name new starting left tackle for remainder of the season
The Dallas Cowboys moved All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith out to left tackle Sunday after consecutive struggling performances from backup left tackle Nate Thomas. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said that change will remain in place for the rest of the season.
“He certainly can play out there,” Schottenheimer said. “And when we made the decision, we talked to Tyler Smith, and the decision was made that we’re going to do it for the year. And so, he’ll be the left tackle.”
In 61 career games, Smith, a Fort Worth native who went to North Crowley High School, has started at left tackle 20 times. In his rookie year, 17 of those came after a preseason injury to Tyron Smith forced the younger Smith to play the position he excelled at during his time at Tulsa. Despite only seeing starts at the position in two games in the past three years, he got the start Sunday and will get two more before the end of the year.
This comes after the previous starter, second-year Tyler Guyton, suffered a high ankle sprain that has kept him out of four games. Even before his injury, Guyton had his ups and downs, allowing 31 pressures on quarterback Dak Prescott in 10 games. But even if Guyton makes his way back from injury before the end of the year, Smith will remain in at left tackle.
“I don’t think he’s out for the year,” Schottenheimer said. “I just think he’s making his way back. And again, short weeks don’t help.”
The Cowboys are entering just that ahead of their Christmas game against the Washington Commanders on Thursday. With just four days to prepare for the road trip to the nation’s capital, Guyton will likely miss a fifth consecutive game.
If he returns for the season finale against the New York Giants, he will likely be the team’s swing tackle — meaning he will back up both Smith and right tackle Terence Steele.
“I think Tyler [Guyton] could end up being the swing tackle,” Schottenheimer said. “And again, you ask Smith in a couple days to move to left tackle, he can move to left guard. He’s such a luxury to have.”
This decision comes ahead of an offseason when the Cowboys could move on from Steele, opening up the possibility of Guyton moving back to the position he played while at Oklahoma. Through two seasons as the left tackle, he hasn’t lived up to his first-round billing, but a move could help jump-start his career in year three.
For the Cowboys, there is no longer a financial implication to keeping Smith at left guard. Since elite tackles make more money than elite guards, Smith signing his contract extension before the season started under the guard price makes his flexibility that much more possible in 2026.
This story was originally published December 21, 2025 at 5:47 PM.
