If the 2025 season was any indication, the Dallas Cowboys may soon have the best interior offensive line in the NFL. Even at left guard, Tyler Smith is the heart and soul of the unit.
However, some undeniable tension cropped up late in the year when Smith kicked out to left tackle for the final three games after Tyler Guyton went on Injured Reserve. No stranger to helping out at LT, Smith held his own, and it led to a larger conversation about Smith changing positions.
The three-time Pro Bowler, who had just signed an extension before the 2025 season, said he was willing to do whatever the team needs, but made it clear that he’s a guard. Thankfully, it sounds like Smith and the Cowboys talked everything out and buried the hatchet.
“We had great conversations about it,” Smith said. “I have an understanding of what it is. That’s the most I can ask for is to just have that understanding early on. Obviously, I’ve got the utmost faith that we’re going to go out there and we’re going to do what we’re going to do. Ultimately, I’ll be in the position I need to be in. I’m good with where we’re at.”
Tyler Smith and the Dallas Cowboys had a ‘great conversation’ about his future
Smith isn’t one to ruffle feathers, but it was obvious that he got annoyed by the left tackle discourse, and rightfully so.
“I’m an All-Pro guard, bro,” Smith said in December. “That’s the simple truth … We’ll see what happens. We’ll have those conversations. Gotta see where everybody’s head is at.”
It’s easy to say that the Cowboys should move Smith to LT. Guyton has been inconsistent, and injuries have hindered his growth, as he’s missed nine games in his first two seasons, including most of 2025 training camp with a knee injury.
Smith is a good left tackle, but he’s arguably the best left guard in the game. Left tackle carries more value, but moving him off the interior would mean taking him away from where he’s most dominant. Even if he’s the better option at tackle, the line is stronger with him at guard. Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams seems to agree.
More importantly, Smith just became the highest-paid guard in football, signing a four-year, $96 million extension in September. $24 million per year is a lot of money, but the highest-paid LT — the Commanders’ Laremy Tunsil — makes $30.1 million per year.
Smith’s $24 million annual average value would rank seventh among left tackles, according to OverTheCap, and that market is only going up. Any conversation about a permanent move to left tackle starts and ends with the Cowboys renegotiating his contract.
Could that be the “great conversation” Smith referenced? It’s certainly possible.
Odds are the Cowboys are keeping the Smith lever in their back pocket if injuries hit left tackle again. It’s a get-out-of-jail-free card that any team would love to have.
But everyone appears to be on the same page now, if that were to happen. That wasn’t the case last season, so any lingering concerns can finally be put to rest.
