Drew Shelton could compete for a starting tackle position

As we near the summer months, a lot of content is going to be about poisiton battles and players that might surprise up and grind their way to a starting spot, and the best place for that to start is on the Dallas Cowboys offensive line.

The Cowboys offensive line is pretty well set, but they have a spot that is up in the air. The last two seasons, Tyler Guyton & Terrence Steele have struggled at the tackle position.

Drew Shelton is a super athletic tackle from Penn State that the Cowboys drafted in the 4th round, the longest they have waited to draft an offensive lineman in years.

What is the ceiling and floor for #DallasCowboys OT Drew Shelton? @BobbyBeltTX tells @1053SS and fans what he thinks Shelton is capable of. pic.twitter.com/AOekvC8VUH

— 105.3 The FAN (@1053thefan) May 2, 2026

Possibly Starter?

If the Cowboys do one thing well over the years, it is draft good talent on the offensive line, and Shelton could be a guy they got as a steal in the 4th round.

Tyler Smith, Tyler Guyton, Tyler Booker, Steele, TJ Bass, Nate Thomas and Shelton are the guys that will probably start at least one game on the offensive line this year.

Smith, Booker, and Bass will all probably start every game, but they have to figure out who can give them the best look at tackle.

Steele signed that massive deal after one above-average season and has been so bad since, he is almost impossible to play, and yet, Dallas can’t do anything about it because Jerry Jones again jumped the guy and signed a guy after one decent season.

Take a look at this: Steele earned a Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 54.9, ranking 76th out of only 89 qualifiers. I mean, that is horrible guys.

At left tackle, Shelton allowed only one sack and 18 pressures on 356 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Guyton has all the raw talent in the world, but can’t get out of his own way.

The 10 games Guyton played in were hardly encouraging, as he ranked 81st out of 89 tackles with a 50.0 pass-blocking grade, allowing 31 pressures and six quarterback hits while committing seven penalties, per PFF. Pre-snap penalties have been a major issue for Guyton since he was drafted.

Brian Schottenheimer said Monday that #DallasCowboys LT Tyler Guyton "has got to take that next step" in his development in 2026.

Is he the X-Factor up front? @1053SS, @rjchoppy and @BobbyBeltTX discuss⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ZTa6FartDj

— 105.3 The FAN (@1053thefan) March 31, 2026

In all honesty, this is probably the biggest issue for the Dallas Cowboys on the offensive side of the ball.

George Pickens signed his tag after the draft and will have to show up and plans to do so showing a lot of growth by him.

A backup running back could still be in play for this team, Javonte Williams is the only guys that I trust right now, but plenty of guys out there that could come in and fill a role as a backup better than what they are currently rolling with.

Not sure what the offensive line will look like but Shelton could very well be battling and compete this summer for a starting tackle spot, Guyton and Steele have yet to show enough to be trusted there, so this summer should be very interesting.

This is a good problem to have on that side of the ball if it is the biggest issue heading into the summer. The offensive line, in a nutshell, was better a year ago at run blocking than pass blocking. Williams had over 1,000 yards, but they need to improve protecting Dak with the weapons they have outside.

The defense still needs some work, and I expect to see Dallas sign a few more depth guys and see if they can compete for a starting job over the next few months, but we have a long way to go before September gets here, but I would not be surprised if Shelton is one of the starting offensive lineman by the time the first game of the year rolls around.