FRISCO — Cowboys offensive lineman Tyler Smith said Monday that he was going to have a conversation with head coach Brian Schottenheimer to get some clarity on his positional future, whether it’s at left guard or left tackle. He wants to hear their vision, as well as offer his own.
“I do have some thoughts in my mind that I’m going to share with him,” Smith said.
Smith, a three-time Pro Bowler in four seasons, didn’t divulge his thoughts on the matter, but he did offer some clues.
The conversation about Smith’s future was reopened this season when Dallas, by necessity, moved him back to left tackle for the final three games of the season. Former first-round pick Tyler Guyton started the majority of the season at left tackle, but his season ended early due to an ankle injury. Second-year tackle Nate Thomas replaced him initially, but the Cowboys went away from that and replaced him with Smith with the hope of having their best five players on the field.
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It was a familiar situation for Smith, a former first-round pick himself. He was drafted to play guard out of Tulsa in 2022, but spent his entire rookie season playing left tackle when former Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith missed the season due to injury. Smith went back to guard in his second season and found a home. He was a second-team All-Pro in his second season and a Pro Bowler last year.
“It’s starting to feel like Larry Allen all over again,” Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones said at the 2024 NFL Combine.
The Cowboys rewarded Smith with a big contract raise this September, making him the highest-paid guard in the NFL with a four-year, $96 million deal. The deal would place Smith as the sixth-highest-paid tackle in the league currently, in terms of annual average contract value.
That could be a component when it comes to the conversation about Smith’s future. There are other factors. Smith said that his comfort when it comes to playing guard or tackle is a huge factor for him personally.
“The way you build comfort is through reps,” Smith said. “Right now, I obviously made a lot of money playing offensive guard. That’s what it is. I had the most reps in the NFL I’ve had at offensive guard. Obviously I’m more comfortable there.”
Smith understood when necessity took precedent, however.
“Of course I made that move for the team,” he said, “but we’re kind of going to find out what the grand scheme of things is going to be. And it might be a conversation that carries on for longer than just today, but at least today will give us clarity.”
It also might depend on what happens this offseason. There’s potential for the Cowboys to reshuffle their offensive line. Starting right tackle Terence Steele is expected to have a cap hit of over $18 million next season. The Cowboys could designate him a post-June 1 cut and save $14 million in salary cap space, while also carrying a $4.125 million hit in dead money. If the Cowboys do that, it opens the possibility of moving Guyton to right tackle, where he played the most during his time at Oklahoma.
Ultimately, finding guards is an easier endeavor than finding tackles, too.
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Smith was asked if he could forge a similar level of comfort at tackle that he has at guard if the Cowboys told him early this offseason that would be his position moving forward.
“We’ll talk about it,” Smith said. “You have to show them what your mindset is. At the same time, it’s about my success and my career as well as this team’s success. That’s the biggest thing for me. It’s like what’s best for the team, but also what’s smart for me in my career.”
After Monday, there should be some level of clarity heading into the offseason for both sides.
“It’s a matter of conversation,” Smith said. “I just need to know.”
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