The Cowboys head into the 2026 season with plenty of optimism around the offense, but one spot on the line stands out as a real problem: offensive tackle.
That’s where the warning signs are loudest. Terence Steele has had trouble finding consistency at right tackle, and the left tackle job is still wide open. Tyler Guyton, the former first-round pick, is set to open training camp in a battle with 2024 seventh-round pick Nathan Thomas, and it shapes up as a pivotal stretch for the No. 29 overall selection in the 2024 draft.
The concern only deepened when team executives and coaches recently ranked the league’s top 10 offensive tackles. No Cowboys cracked the list, not even as an honorable mention. For a team trying to keep its offense rolling at the level it reached a year ago, that’s a pretty stark reminder of how much the current group has to prove.
And the stakes are obvious. Dallas knows the offense can go only as far as Dak Prescott can carry it, but that equation changes fast if he isn’t protected. Prescott has shown he can perform at an MVP level when healthy, but his injury history makes keeping him upright even more important.
That’s why the left tackle competition matters so much. If Guyton wins the job and settles in, it could help stabilize the line. If he doesn’t, the Cowboys are left searching for answers at one of the most important spots on the field.
There is at least some encouraging news on Guyton’s side. He has spent the offseason working out with some of the league’s elite offensive linemen, a sign that he’s taking the challenge seriously and trying to sharpen his game before camp begins.
The Cowboys will get their first real look at that progress when training camp opens with the team’s first practice in Oxnard, California, on Wednesday, July 29.
In Other News...
Mike McCarthy Might Hand Cowboys A Backfield Chance They Desperately Need
Mike McCarthys move to Pittsburgh has already created a little ripple effect for Dallas, and it comes in a place the Cowboys know all too well: the backfield. Kaleb Johnson, a 2024 third-round pick, is trying to carve out a role behind Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren, but the Steelers running back room is crowded enough that every rep matters. Johnson was a highly regarded part of that draft class, and his pedigree alone makes him a name worth tracking if the situation shifts.
For Dallas, the appeal is obvious. The Cowboys have been searching for more stability and upside at running back, and a player like Johnson would at least give them another swing at solving it. If Pittsburgh decides it has better options in the room, Dallas could be positioned to pounce on a back with real tools and a chance to grow into more than a depth piece. [Read more 🡒]
National Ranking Just Sent Cowboys Fans Into The Jake Ferguson Debate
ESPNs latest tight end ranking has Jake Ferguson in an awkward spot for Cowboys fans to parse. The panel of executives, coaches and scouts slotted him as an honorable mention just outside the top 10, which puts him in that 12th-or-13th range where he is clearly respected but not quite viewed as one of the leagues elite at the position. For Dallas, it is a reminder that Ferguson has carved out real value as a high-volume receiver who will also mix it up in the run game.
The debate gets sharper because the ranking did not ignore the blemishes. Fergusons ball security has become part of the conversation, and that matters for a player the Cowboys rewarded with a modest extension last year. Even so, he still comes out as the highest-ranked tight end in the NFC East, a small but notable distinction in a division where no one at the position cracked the top 10. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Fans Still Talk About This Texas Stadium Playoff Takeover
A Texas Stadium playoff game from the early 1980s still has a way of surfacing in Cowboys conversation, and it is easy to see why. Dallas handled Green Bay in a 37-26 postseason win that carried the feel of a classic Landry-era showcase, with the defense swinging the game and the crowd feeding off every turnover and big play.
Dennis Thurmans night is part of what made it memorable, and so is the kind of creativity that defined that era. One of the lasting images is Drew Pearson uncorking a 49-yard pass to Tony Hill, the sort of wrinkle that gave Dallas an edge in those years and helped make that playoff run such a durable piece of Cowboys history. [Read more 🡒]