Potential options later in the first round include Oklahoma's Tyler Guyton (a one-year starter for the Sooners who has blossomed at right tackle but could also swing) and Arizona's Jordan Morgan (who spent four seasons with the Wildcats). He was established at left tackle, but his arm length might be better suited for guard at the next level), Georgia's Amarius Mims (a 6-foot-8, 340-pound phenom who was a starter in college) There are many others, including (with only 8 games of experience).
Indeed, replacing Smith with one of their top tackles right away could make the job easier. Terrence Steele and Zach Martin can still play on the right side. Brock Hoffman, TJ Bass, and a second-day pick could play center. Tyler Smith could stay at left guard, but should he?
On Sunday afternoon at the annual league meeting held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Orlando, Fla., Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he thought Smith would replace the older Smith at left tackle in 2024. “Please don't deny it,” he said. Beyond.
“surely, [Tyler Smith] I would say he’s potentially a great left tackle,” Jones said.
It's not a difficult concept to come up with. He was the one who stepped up at left tackle during Smith's rookie season when the offensive line around him was decimated by tackle injuries.
When Tyron Smith went down with an avulsion fracture in his left knee during the preseason, Tyler Smith took his place. When the older Smith was able to return late in the season, there was a hole at right tackle when Terrence Steele ended his season with a torn ACL. Tyler Smith stayed home at left tackle as Tyron Smith was kicked to the right side.
Given that experience (a season in which he allowed six sacks on 1,144 snaps), considering he was drafted with the long-term outlook of eventually replacing Tyron Smith when this day comes. , Smith could be another option.
But Smith's proven flexibility gives the Cowboys options in an offseason when numbers are likely to be slim.
Instead of the aforementioned first option, the Cowboys would push Tyler Smith out to left tackle and have TJ Bass, Brock Hoffman and draft picks competing at left guard, like Oregon's Jackson Powers-Johnson. They could also draft a center in the first round. Some people in the scouting world say the Dukes' Graham Burton (center), who has experience in four of the five offensive line positions and is the winner of the 2023 Rimington Trophy, which goes to the nation's best center. Options for a center who has been described as one of the smartest centers by recent drafts (pre-snap diagnostic capabilities in memory).
Even with a talented tackle class, Jones reminded us that option two is not something to be ignored. Will it be the best option in the long run? That could very well happen, but it would require a draft effort similar to the one Vice President of Player Personnel Will McCray and his department put together in 2022. It gave the Cowboys rare flexibility in their position today.
