Tyler Guyton limped off the field during practice, and every Cowboys fan held their breath.
For a franchise built around protecting Dak Prescott, losing their second-year left tackle to what looked like a season-ending knee injury would have been devastating. Instead, the Cowboys caught a break they desperately needed.
How Will the Cowboys Replace Tyler Guyton During His Recovery?
The Dallas Cowboys will have to make some adjustments on the offensive line. However, they dodged a bullet when left tackle Tyler Guyton’s knee injury turned out not to be a torn ACL. The second-year left tackle was feared to be looking at a season-ending injury, but is expected to miss four to six weeks instead.
The Athletic‘s Jon Machota reports that the Cowboys won’t have to drastically shuffle their offensive line with Guyton expected back early in the 2025-26 season.
Instead of moving left guard Tyler Smith to left tackle and weakening their interior line, the Cowboys can pick from Asim Richards, Nathan Thomas, Hakeem Adeniji, rookie Ajani Cornelius (6th round), or Matt Waletzko.
Micah Parsons helping Tyler Guyton to the locker room pic.twitter.com/KBv98l3bvZ
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 28, 2025
The Dallas Cowboys have been diligent about building their offensive line. Buried beneath the headlines about contract squabbles with CeeDee Lamb last year and Micah Parsons this year is the front office drafting and developing long-term starters who can plow open running lanes and keep Prescott upright.
It’s a sturdy trend that shows the Cowboys’ commitment to protecting their franchise quarterback. Since 2015, the Cowboys have heavily invested in offensive linemen in the first three rounds, where they have found and cultivated four of their projected starters for the 2025-26 campaign.
- 2015: Chaz Green (Round 3)
- 2018: Connor Williams (Round 2)
- 2019: Connor McGovern (Round 3)
- 2022: Tyler Smith (Round 1)
- 2023: Cooper Beebe (Round 3)
- 2024: Tyler Guyton (Round 1)
- 2025: Tyler Booker (Round 1)
What Does This Injury Mean for Dallas’s Offensive Strategy?
The Cowboys have a fair amount of depth in a league where the salary cap prevents teams from stacking talent on their rosters. However, this means teams will target top linemen early and often and then use late-round picks to develop quality backups.
The Cowboys dodged a bullet, and Guyton did not tear his ACL. Instead of drastically altering their line’s makeup, they can tailor the offense to provide whomever plays left tackle with more help on the backside. This flexibility allows them to maintain their core blocking scheme while adjusting protection packages around their temporary starter.
Straightening out the left tackle position is essential, not just for quarterback Prescott’s health, but for the running game. The Cowboys overhauled their running back room after their leading rusher in 2024-25, Rico Dowdle, signed with the Carolina Panthers early in free agency.
New head coach Brian Schottenheimer and offensive coordinator Klayton Adams have around a month to get their offense up to speed.
They are expected to be a run-focused team and will have to figure out a rotation made up of Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, and rookie Jaydon Blue (5th round). Deuce Vaughn, rookie Phil Mafah (7th round), and fullback Hunter Luepke make up the rest of the group.
The Cowboys play their first preseason game on August 9 against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. This game will give fans their first look at how the coaching staff plans to handle the temporary absence of their starting left tackle.
