When the Cowboys selected Tyler Smith with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft, I had my thoughts.
I was not sold on the pick, but boy have I been happy to be wrong about that.
Smith is on track to being one of the next great offensive linemen for the Dallas Cowboys for years to come.
Pro Football Focus recently dropped their player ranking of the top 25 players under 25 entering the 2024 NFL season.
Tyler Smith was named the highest-ranked interior lineman at no. 15.
Smith has already played 2,311 snaps in the NFL, he just turned 23 years old in April.
The former first-round pick played mainly at left tackle in his first season due to injuries but was featured exclusively at left guard in his second year.
Smith will likely continue to play inside, where he has a chance to become one of the best interior offensive linemen, highlighted by the fact that his 74.4 PFF overall grade in 2023 ranked 11th among guards.
Young Offensive Line
The Cowboys will need Smith to continue to be great in 2024. Dallas is going to have an extremely young offensive line this year.
With Tyler Guyton at left tackle, Tyler Smith at guard, then Cooper Beebe at center with Zack Martin and Terence Steele on the right the Cowboy’s offensive line should be at worst at the same level as last season.
I understand they lost Tyron Smith, but he is never 100% anyway. This could either go very well for the Cowboys or very badly.
If Smith plays at the level we have seen over the last two years, they should be okay. Beebe was a homerun pick for Dallas, he will play center and had a higher grade on him than where he was selected.
I think we will see a lot of growing pains, but that will happen with a young offensive line, but the issue is going to remain with the running back.
It is going to be a running back by-committee approach in 2024. They will need this offensive line to be at least average at best.
Not sure how much football Martin has left, but pretty soon this offensive line is going to add someone to replace him full-time. Let’s hope the rest of the group can stay together for a bit so it is not a flex every single year.
No-Show At OTAs
The Cowboys opened their Organized Team Activities Tuesday morning, but both Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb didn’t show up.
This is not a surprise when it comes to Lamb, but I thought maybe Parsons would show up like he did last year after skipping the off-season program.
They want their money, but you would think with a new system in place on the defensive side of the ball with the hire of Mike Zimmer, Micah would be there.
I understand he is working out on his own and staying in ready shape, but it just seems odd.
I am trying to not make a big deal out of it since they will be there week one with the rules of the CBA, but I just hate that the Cowboys two best players aren’t in the building.
Dak Prescott, Brandin Cooks, DLaw, and others were there at the start yesterday.
Nonetheless, regardless of all the distractions, this team still has some good going for it like Tyler Smith and other young guys like Jake Ferguson.
Let’s see how the rest of the summer goes, but if Justin Jefferson gets a contract before CeeDee Lamb the Cowboys will be in trouble. This is why I wish Jerry would be smart and get this stuff done early.