The Cowboys have more than one starting job worth watching as the 2026 season gets closer, and two names stand out: Tyler Guyton and Shavon Revel Jr.
Left tackle is the more obvious pressure point. Dallas has Dak Prescott settled at quarterback, but the blind side is still very much up for grabs.
Guyton is the current favorite there, yet he’s not running away from the competition. Nate Thomas is in the mix, and so is Tyler Smith if the Cowboys decide a move at guard makes sense.
ESPN’s Todd Archer laid out the path pretty plainly: “In a perfect world, Guyton, whom Schottenheimer called one of the best athletes he has coached at tackle in his career, will win the job, play consistently and the Cowboys will flourish,” Todd Archer wrote. “If he doesn't, then the Cowboys will consider Tyler Smith, their All-Pro left guard, for the spot. He played there as a rookie and on a need basis since, but that is not ideal for how the Cowboys want to function offensively.”
Guyton is entering his third NFL season after the Cowboys made him a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He started 11 games as a rookie, then appeared in only 10 games last year while dealing with injuries. Even when he was on the field, the staff didn’t see the level of steadiness it wanted.
“Tyler's biggest thing is the consistency has not been there,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “Very talented, maybe one of the most athletic big men I've ever been around with his ability to kick slide, punch, move, run. But there's got to be more consistency, and that's been the challenge that he's been working extremely, extremely hard on.”
Guyton, for his part, is leaning into the competition and says the answer is simple: keep showing up and keep improving.
“Same equation, come to work every day, try to get better, prepare myself for the next day,” Guyton said. “There's competition everywhere on the team.
It's a football team, and everybody wants to play. Friendly competition isn't bad.
It brings the best out of people.
“I feel like coming into the league, I had a lot to learn. And I feel like I've learned something.
I've gotten stronger, I've gotten better at football, learning more techniques and things like that. It's just a learning process, and I'm going to continue to try to advance for this next season.”
Thomas is making his own push. The Cowboys took him in the seventh round in 2024 after medical concerns helped push him down the board, and injuries wiped out his rookie year.
Last season, though, he was available for all 17 games, and that gave him a real foothold in the conversation. Dallas is not treating him like a throwaway depth piece.
“It's important not to forget why the Cowboys drafted Thomas in the first place,” Nick Eastman wrote. “While they were fully aware of his injury history, they believed that when healthy he has the talent to be an NFL starter. The Cowboys continue to develop Thomas, and there's a legitimate chance he could eventually become one of their starting tackles-on either side.
“Thomas still has two years remaining on his contract, and by that time, clarity should emerge regarding Guyton's development, (Terrence) Steele's future, and any additional tackles added through free agency or the draft. Still, the Cowboys are clearly not closing the door on Thomas being firmly in the mix.”
The other spot to watch is in the secondary, where Shavon Revel Jr. is trying to force his way into the picture. He was a third-round pick in 2025 and slid because of injury concerns, then played in only seven games last season. Now he’s healthy and aiming at Durant’s job.
Durant opened 2025 as the starter, played 15 games, and matched career highs with 40 tackles and three interceptions. He also returned a pick for a touchdown in Week 12 against the Buccaneers.
Revel says he’s getting back to the version of himself he knew at ECU.
“I definitely feel like I'm getting close to my ECU self,” Revel said. “And I say that every single day.
I watch myself on film every single day. (And) I go back and watch my ECU film too, and see what I used to do.
“I wasn't always perfect back then, so I take that, give myself some confidence when I come into practice to prove who I used to be, and lock in.”
For Revel, the biggest difference now is simple: he feels healthier.
“My health is 10 times better,” he said. “And my confidence is always there, man.
It's always that heart and that grit to go out there and perform for your team. It's no excuse.
Once you get on that field, there's no excuse like, ‘Oh, my knee, or this and that.'
“You're on that field, so attack each play with intent to get better. That's just how I look at it.”
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