For the first time since their embarrassing postseason exit courtesy of the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys were officially back on a football field. With a lot to sort out as training camp and the preseason roll on, there were a lot of good and bad things to take away from their 13-12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
One of the good things that stood out is Tyler Guyton, to the delight of Cowboys fans everywhere. The rookie first-round pick got his first NFL action on Sunday afternoon, and although it is a small sample size, he looks like a guy who belongs.
Tyler Guyton makes good first impression
After Chuma Edoga took snaps at left tackle to start the game, it took only one offensive drive before Guyton got a taste of NFL action. The former Sooner spent much of his college days on the right side of the offensive line, and with a change to the left side in the plans, many were curious to see how he would fare in his first NFL action.
While it wasn’t an extensive workload, there were enough positives to take from the action to feel good about his first game as a Cowboy.
Pass protection
Again, we know it was a small sample size, but Guyton looked like a man who was extremely comfortable in passing situations. His sets were clean, his punches were on point, and when given the chance to throw his weight around and flash his athleticism, all of the right boxes were checked.
He was patient, didn’t lean, wasn’t over-committing, and looked like a man who was perfectly comfortable playing on the left side. A lot more growth is to come, naturally, but for his first live reps in a game setting, there is a lot to be encouraged by.
Run blocking
Guyton has a chance to be special in the running game. Along with Tyler Smith on the left side, the two physical specimens have a chance to move guys against their will regularly.
In the play highlighted here, Guyton gets a chance to show his athleticism while moving in space and finishing the play by being violent and packing a punch that knocks the would-be tackler back out of the play.
Again, it’s a small sample size, but there aren’t many tackles in the NFL that can move with this kind of fluidity and be able to pack the type of punch he does here. His landing markers were clean, his pull was smooth, and his finish was the cherry on top.
What we see here is a lot of what the Cowboys’ front office saw in his college tape, only now they have been given a chance to get him in the weight room, refine his technique, and are working on getting the best out of him going forward.
All in all, it’s just one game and a couple of dozen plays. But for a team looking to move on from future Hall of Fame left tackle, those who make decisions have to leave out tonight feeling good about what they saw from Guyton.
With at least one more game (they may sit him in the final preseason game) to fine-tune his ability, the Cowboys have yet again another exciting tackle prospect to watch and critique. A team that has continuously churned out quality offensive linemen over the years may have found themselves another one.
