FRISCO — It’s not like Cowboys rookie Tyler Booker didn’t have the ability to be vocal. Far from it, actually.
Booker’s voice was one of the reasons the Cowboys fell in love with him during the draft process. At Alabama, coaches said he was an unquestioned alpha, not only on the offensive line, but for their entire team. Booker was named the team’s most inspiring player in 2024 because of how he inspired others with his voice and the actions behind it.
So, when Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told Booker to be more vocal recently, it was more about Schottenheimer giving the Cowboys’ first-round pick permission to be who he was in college, despite being one of the youngest guys on the team.
“I never wanted to be the rookie that came in here, talking a whole bunch on the first day when I didn’t really know what it means to be a Cowboy,” Booker said on Monday. “To this point, I feel like I have a better understanding of what it means to be a Cowboy and a pro.”
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And just like at Alabama, there’s merit behind Booker’s growing voice at the professional level.
Like his voice, Booker’s play has grown through the first 13 weeks of his NFL career. Booker is the 16th highest-rated guard in the NFL among qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades. He’s rated as the highest-graded rookie offensive lineman, matching the expectations the Cowboys had for Booker when they selected him 12th overall in this past draft.
The last two weeks may have been Booker’s most impressive, however. Booker drew tough matchups for any offensive lineman. He went up often against Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter and Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, who are heralded as two of the best defensive tackles in the league. Booker allowed two combined pressures and no sacks in both wins for the Cowboys.
Booker, as he’s been since he was introduced the day after the first round, spoke clearly about those performances. He said they were decent. He said there was plenty of room to grow. Others spoke a little more glowingly.
“Just what we thought we were getting when we drafted him: a freakin’ dawg,” Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams said about Booker’s performance the last two games. “He’s very confident and his confidence is built the right way and it’s built on his experiences and doing things right, rather than just being a guy built on ego or something like that. He is really built the right way.”
Booker made it known early that he was actually looking forward to the challenge of facing some of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. He spoke at his introductory press conference about facing Carter specifically. He said he was excited to go up against one of the best in the NFL because facing a guy like that could only make him better. He reaffirmed that feeling on Monday, calling the chance to face Carter “a dream come true.”
That’s one of the things that stuck out to quarterback Dak Prescott about Booker’s performance the last two games.
“I know when he came in as a rookie or was drafted, he was already barking about those matchups,” Prescott said. “To now be on the back side of some of those, and for him to have played as well as he has and backed up his talk, that’s as impressive as anything.”
Prescott also pointed out something else.
“You should hear the guy in the huddle. You should hear the guy in the huddle. You should hear him before the game,” Prescott said. “His mentality, the way that he wants to dominate. He says that a lot. It’s like no other.”
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There’s a reason Booker says that word often. It goes back to his mentality, which was showcased after the draft when a clip of him talking about taking the love of the game away from his opponents went viral.
“Dominate, you leave no doubt in your opponent’s mind,” Booker said. “You play some games and it’ll be like, ‘Oh, you guys only won because of this. You guys only won because of that.’ When you dominate, you want to leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that you were victorious for a reason. I don’t only want to win, I want to dominate. It just pushes you further.”
Booker said Monday that his goals are lofty. When his career is over, he wants a Hall of Fame gold jacket. He knows there’s a long way to go, but he hopes to grow into that.
Part of that growth is rooted in learning lessons. Booker said he had a significant teaching moment earlier this season in a loss to the Chicago Bears. It was late in the fourth quarter and the Cowboys were down big. Booker said his technique was a little bit off against Bears defensive lineman Grady Jarrett.
“He put me on my [butt],” Booker said.
Booker realized then he couldn’t take any plays off if he wanted to be successful in the NFL. His fundamentals had to be on point, all of the time. Schottenheimer said Booker’s commitment to fundamentals has been one of the reasons why Booker has played so well of late.
“That has to continue,” Schottenheimer said.
Booker plans on it.
“I feel like I’ve known how to win reps in the NFL,” he said. “Now I want to learn how to dominate them as well.”
Booker not only talks about it — often, if you ask teammates and coaches — but he plans to be about it, too.
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