Cowboys lineman projected for $76 million deal to run numbers up if they wait too long

USA Today

4 hours ago

The Dallas Cowboys haven't struck gold in the first round since 2022. While it's still a bit early to call DT Mazi Smith a bust and way too early to say such things about Tyler Guyton, the club hasn't nailed a pick out the box since drafting Tyler Smith. The club had a clear plan for the young lineman, and even when that went up in smoke due to an injury to his linemate, Smith proved to be everything the team had imagined, and is already revered as one of the NFL's best lineman.
Smith was drafted to be an eventual replacement for Tyron Smith at left tackle, but the club intended on him playing guard until the elder Smith retired. A major injury towards the end of 2022 training camp moved Tyler Smith outside to tackle a year early, and he acquitted himself very well there. He moved back inside for 2023, earning All-Pro honors in his second year. Despite moving back outside for a game and a half, the staff seems committed to allowing him to thrive on the inside for now and the immediate future.
Rundown
Position: Offensive Guard
Age: 24
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 332 pounds
Hometown: Ft. Worth, TX
High School: North Crowley
College: Tulsa (Film Study Video)
Draft: 2022 First-round pick (No. 24 Overall)
Acquired: 2022 Draft
Contract: Four-year contract (2022), $13.4 million
2025 Base Salary: $2.5 million | Cap Hit: $4.3 million
Career Earnings: $4.3 million (per Over TheCap)
Profile
Dallas loved what Smith did on the interior so much, they drafted Guyton in the first round in 2024 to man the outside after saying goodbye to Tyron Smith in free agency. And despite Guyton's clear struggles, the road is paved for him to get another season there. It will always exist in the back of everyone's mind that Smith is more than a serviceable player on the outside, and until Guyton establishes himself as a plus starter, the option will always exist for Smith to be pushed back outside.
And perhaps the front office, while not trying to undercut Guyton's confidence, prepared for that possibility. The team added four players capable of starting at guard this offseason in ERFA Brock Hoffman, veteran FA Saahdiq Charles, veteran OT/OG Hakeem Adeniji and drafting Tyler Booker in the first round. Booker will start at right guard unless something goes wrong, but all are capable of playing left guard if the best move for Dallas is to push Tyler Smith back outside to left tackle.
In addition, Smith is on his way to a well-deserved new contract. The Cowboys have a fifth-year option invoked that will keep Smith with the team in 2026 for $21.2 million, but he's eligible for a contract extension now, and the club may want to buck their trend and pay him now instead of drawing things out. Spotrac projects him as being worth a four-year, $76 million extension, or $19.1 per season now, and that price tag will only increase with another Pro Bowl or All-Pro season.
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