The Cowboys’ tackle shuffle took another turn this weekend, and Nate Thomas was the odd man out.
Thomas, a 2024 seventh-round pick from Louisiana, had carved out real value for Dallas after winning the swing tackle job last season. He played in all 17 games, made four starts, and even looked like a legitimate candidate to compete for a starting role in 2026.
That conversation changed quickly once training camp got rolling. Before camp, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Tyler Guyton would have to hold off Thomas for the starting job. Guyton ended up looking like the best answer for Dallas, and the focus shifted to the swing tackle spot.
Thomas then went head-to-head with rookie Drew Shelton for that reserve role, but neither player separated from the pack. Dallas added Broderick Jones in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and once that happened, Thomas found himself on the roster bubble.
Instead of cutting him, the Cowboys worked out a trade with the Houston Texans, who are bringing in Thomas for offensive line depth. The move was reported by Ian Rapoport, who noted that Thomas is staying in Texas ahead of the 53-man roster cutdown.
Losing Thomas leaves Shelton and Jones as the likely reserve tackles on the roster, though Dallas could still look for more help. That possibility feels especially real if Jones ends up challenging Terence Steele for the starting spot on the right side. Steele is the veteran there, but his camp has been marked by inconsistency.
The early talk about a “battle” for the starting job never really turned into a true competition. It looked more like a way to push Guyton, especially once Thomas couldn’t overtake Shelton, a fourth-round pick who wasn’t exactly tearing up camp either.
Thomas did have one clear strength: he could move defenders in the run game. But his pass protection was a different story, and speed rushers gave him trouble. That would have been a problem if Dallas had needed to count on him heavily during the regular season.
From Dallas’ perspective, the move also makes sense from a draft-pick standpoint. The Cowboys picked up a seventh-rounder from Houston for Thomas, and with only four picks left after the Jones trade, that kind of return mattered.
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