Cowboys’ Tyler Smith not keen on team potentially changing his All-Pro position
When Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Tyler Smith signed his four-year, $96 million extension just days before the season started, it was the highest-paid contract signed to a guard in NFL history. But a little more than three months later, his position along the Cowboys’ offensive line could be in question heading into the offseason.
After a high ankle sprain to starting left tackle Tyler Guyton forced him to miss a fourth consecutive game against the Los Angeles Chargers this past Sunday, Smith was asked by the coaching staff to kick out from his left guard spot to left tackle.
Financial implications aside — the highest-paid left tackle in football makes $4.5 million more per year than Smith — the move took Smith out of the position where he has twice been named to the AP All-Pro teams and was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl on Tuesday morning. If the move ends up being something that the team makes permanent in the offseason, he will have something to say.
“I mean, bro, I’m an All-Pro guard, you feel me,” Smith said Tuesday. “That’s the simple truth if we’re looking at stuff purely off facts. We’ll see what happens. I’ll have those conversations, and we’ll have those conversations and just see where everybody’s head is at.”
It’s not something that’s new to Smith. After playing left tackle at the University of Tulsa, he played 17 games in his rookie season at the position and started two more times on the outside before last Sunday. In his four years in the league, he has started 41 games at left guard and 20 at left tackle.
“It’s definitely been different,” Smith said. “It’s been a while. It’s familiar territory, for sure. The biggest thing for me are the technical aspects of it. Like even this week, it’s an away game. We might have some cadence variations which are different at tackle.”
Having the experience in his rookie season with the help of now-retired veterans Tyron Smith and Jason Peters helped Smith pick up the little nuances of the position a lot easier. While he may feel it’s not where he is best suited up front, he does feel comfortable with the responsibilities.
“If you watch the way [Smith] played, and how these guys functioned, we know he can play out there,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “We’re not surprised, I’m not surprised. At the end of the day, we made the move because we thought it gave us the best chance to win the next three games. That’s the way it’s going to be for these next two games now. We’ll evaluate everything. It’s no different from scheme, we’ll evaluate everything.”
If the move is permanent, Smith would like to know sooner rather than later to approach the offseason. His stance for remaining at guard is firm if this is indeed an experiment for the future.
“I’m a strong guy,” he said. “A lot of the strengths I feel like I have as a player are very good for me at the guard position. I’ve had great vets around me at the guard and tackle position, and I think that’s really helped me be successful at both, but I really do feel like my strength and the variety of things help me inside.”
If Guyton returns, Schottenheimer has said he will back up both Smith and right tackle Terence Steele. With Guyton struggling at the position through two seasons and Steele being a potential cut candidate in the offseason, flexibility on the offensive line could be a luxury for the Cowboys’ front office when identifying free agent and draft candidates to fill spots.
But if Smith playing left tackle ends up being a part of those plans, he indicated Tuesday that he wants a say in the end.
“We’ll have those conversations when we have those conversations,” Smith said. “I’m not really letting my mind get too far ahead of that. Like I said, I know this is something we’re doing for the rest of the season. In my mind, that’s just what it is for the rest of the season.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 5:06 PM.
