Cowboys Defend Struggling Tyler Guyton as Problems Continue
It was hardly the only reason the Cowboys could not beat the Broncos in Week 8, but still, it was a persistent problem for Dallas, one that the team has struggled with all season: penalties, especially bone-headed ones before the snap. At 8.4 penalties per game, Dallas ranks 29th in the NFL in penalties.
Among the wave of pre-snap penalties (there were five) was a false start by left tackle Tyler Guyton, who committed his fifth penalty of the season. Thus it has gone for Guyton in his two seasons since the Cowboys made him their first-round pick in 2024, with modest improvements continually offset by mistakes.
Guyton, who had been dealing with a glute injury in practice before Week 8, has been better for the cowboys lately, but still rates a Pro Football Focus grade of just 52.7, which ranks 66th out of 77 graded tackles in the NFL this year.
Tyler Guyton ‘Has the Skills’
Despite his struggles, team owner Jerry Jones defended Guyton this week during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas.
“I am confident he has the skills and the length to overcome, what, to overcome the pre-snap penalties,” Jones said. “I have seen that done. I have seen that his first (two) years, including this year, he is out there in a pretty open space, to look at how he’s playing. He can get better. Players do get better with pre-snap—concentration, focus. They can. It usually comes at the worst times, and when it does, it can mess up a big play.
“He is unique in his talent, unique in his feet, to have the length that he’s got. I think he is gonna be a top player for us.”
Cowboys Must to ‘Look in the Mirror’
In the wake of the 44-24 humbling at the hands of the Broncos, coach Brian Schottenheimer referred consistently to the team’s ability to play through adversity–or, in the Cowboys’ case, the lack of that ability at times.
“We feel like we can play with anybody no matter how the game goes, we really do …” Schottenheimer said. “This is a good football team, talking about us, that did not play very well today. We did not coach very well today. I wasn’t very good today. I don’t think Flus (DC Matt Eberflus) thinks that he was very good today. I don’t think Klayton (Adams) thinks he was very good today. So, we’ll look at it.
“Good teams look at it, they look in the mirror. Adversity is a good thing. No one likes to lose and it’s a humbling league when you come in here and play a good football team and you get beat the way we did. But you get back to work.”
Cowboys Line, Tyler Guyton Need Consistency
At 3-4-1, the Cowboys have established themselves as a very strong offensive unit with a poor defense that tends to, overall, be inconsistent. Because of the wide-open state of the NFC playoff picture, Dallas is still very much in the mix to get back to the postseason, with ESPN projecting the Cowboys with a 19% chance to earn a spot.
But the Cowboys will need the offensive line to continue getting better, and the spotlight is on Guyton in that respect. He is the lowest rated lineman on the offense, for a line that ranks 28th in pass blocking and ninth in run blocking.
Commanders' offensive line ranking might just surprise you
The Washington Commanders’ offensive line finished near the top of the NFL, No. 9 in pass blocking efficiency according to Pro Football Focus in 2024.
That ranking, however, was aided in large part by Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels's mobility and willingness to run.
While PFF credited the 2024 Washington offensive line with surrendering only 20 sacks, the 11th fewest in the league, it was also blamed for giving up north of 195 pressures to their rookie quarterback, the ninth-worst.
With that knowledge in hand, general manager Adam Peters set out to make the group better, trading for Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and drafting rookie right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Mid-Season Report Card
So, how has it gone?
Doing a bit of a mid-season check-in, PFF put out its updated ranking of NFL offensive lines, and the Commanders’ group did pretty well, ranking No. 9 out of all 32 units.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
A Tale of Two Tackles
“Stud right guard Sam Cosmi returned to action for the first time since he tore his ACL in January. He gave up just one pressure — and no sacks or hits — in the Commanders' loss to the Cowboys, leading to an 85.9 PFF pass-blocking grade, which ranked second among all guards this week,” Zoltan Buday writes.
“On the other hand, first-round pick Josh Conerly Jr. continued to struggle in pass protection at right tackle. The Oregon product gave up four pressures, including a sack, and has now allowed pressure at an 8.7% rate — 15th worst rate among 71 qualifying offensive tackles.”
Of the five starters: LT Laremy Tunsil, LG Chris Paul, C Tyler Biadasz, RG Sam Cosmi, and RT Josh Conerly Jr., Buday names the veteran tackle as the best of the bunch, citing his 87+ pass-blocking grade as a big reason why, as it ranks third-best among eligible tackles.
Data vs. The Eye Test
Of course, that’s using the eye test along with the data, because using just the data, the offensive line hasn’t gotten better; they’ve gotten worse, with an 84.3 efficiency rating that ranks No. 17 in the NFL through seven weeks.
However, the data also shows that the offensive line is projected to give up more than 30 fewer pressures, nearly 40 fewer hurries, five fewer hits to the quarterback, yet is responsible for about six or seven more sacks.
That efficiency rate is going to be significantly tested by the Kansas City defense, which boasts a top-10 blitz percentage under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and one of the most dangerous defensive linemen in the league, Chris Jones.
