Where will Tyler Smith line up? A look at the Dallas Cowboys’ OL options for 2024 (2024)

A populace numbed by a growing list of Cowboys departures can be forgiven for failing to fully embrace a key addition.

Hudson Gage Martin is now part of the offensive line. It’s true the newborn won’t be much help this season, but he should be challenging his father Zack in no time.

Now, back to the current state of the Dallas offensive line. Starters Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz have left in free agency. The Cowboys have signed no one to replace them.

Consternation rises. A disgruntled and discouraged fan base wants to know what club officials are thinking.

Here’s a look at where this stands and how it could play out.

It all starts with Tyler Smith. The coaching staff must determine whether it wants him to stay at left guard or push him back outside to left tackle.

The temptation is to assume the Cowboys will keep him at guard, where he blossomed into a Pro Bowl player in his second season. Why tamper with that level of success, especially when the team is well-positioned to take Tyron Smith’s replacement in the first round of next month’s draft?

But that’s not a given. Remember, Smith was drafted as a college tackle out of Tulsa, the heir apparent to Tyron Smith at left tackle. The first-round pick assumed that job sooner than anyone imagined when the veteran was injured in training camp and missed the majority of the 2022 season.

Tyler Smith held up well as a rookie left tackle. Very well. The Cowboys fashioned a 12-5 record that season with Tyler Smith at left tackle and Terence Steele at right tackle.

The coaching staff would be willing to run those two back as their starting tackles. It’s part of a discussion taking place at The Star right now that’s not completely settled.

Tyler Smith’s flexibility to excel at either spot gives the Cowboys options going into this draft.

There should be at least six offensive tackles taken in the first round. Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton and/or Georgia’s Amarius Mims appear the most likely to be available when the Cowboys are on the clock at No. 24.

If Guyton or Mims are there the Cowboys could determine they are comfortable with starting either one as a rookie and keeping Smith inside. If Guyton and Mims and the other top tackle are gone — a possibility — the club could be tempted to shift gears and take Jackson Powers-Johnson, universally regarded as the top center in this draft. He would step in immediately to replace Biadasz.

In that scenario, Smith would stay at left tackle.

And here’s something no one outside of the organization is discussing at the moment. What if the coaching staff and personnel department assess that the college tackle the Cowboys get at No. 24 has the traits to move to guard?

Tyler Smith was a college tackle the Cowboys immediately moved to guard. Zack Martin was a tackle at Notre Dame who has made a Hall of Fame name for himself at right guard.

Even if the Cowboys take a tackle in the first round, there’s no assurance that means Smith will remain at guard.

What about the rest of the offensive line? The Cowboys flirted with giving Steele some work at guard last season, but decided against it since he was returning from injury. The club now appears content to keep him at right tackle next to Martin, who’s a fixture at right guard.

T.J. Bass intrigues the Dallas coaching staff. He has a strong lower body and would be given the chance to earn the job at left guard if the club kicks Smith outside. Brock Hoffman is the center by default at the moment.

But this is a deep draft at the position. The Cowboys could pick up a starter there on the third day.

A wild card to keep in mind is La’el Collins, who has played guard and tackle during his NFL career. He’s still working his way back into shape and has been at The Star during the offseason.

Tyron Smith turned back time with an outstanding season in ‘23. The Cowboys won’t come close to replacing his presence.

But Dallas officials have been excited about the talent at offensive tackle in this draft for months. That undoubtedly played a role in their difficult decision to let Tyron Smith walk.

Now, the club must decide if it wants Tyler Smith to play left tackle or left guard. The rest of the line falls into place from there.

After all, Hudson Gage needs a little more time to develop the core strength and weight that will allow him to compete.

Catch David Moore periodically on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) during the offseason.

Twitter/X: @DavidMooreDMN

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