Injuries, injuries and more injuries. That has been the story of the Dallas Cowboys' season over the first five weeks. Already down their top four defensive linemen, the Cowboys will not have the services of starting middle linebacker Eric Kendricks against the Detroit Lions.
With a litany of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, the onus will be on Dak Prescott and the offense to give Dallas a chance to win. That starts up front with the offensive line, but the unit will look different on Sunday relative to the first five games of the season.
In a surprising development, All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith will start at left tackle in place of rookie first-round pick Tyler Guyton. Smith moved to left tackle last week against the Steelers after Guyton left with a knee injury. Second-year pro T.J. Bass will start at left guard.
The kicker here is that Guyton is active for the game. Either Mike McCarthy and Co. deemed Guyton not healthy enough to start, or that Guyton's struggles, particularly with false starts and holding penalties, would be problematic against Lions star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson.
Cowboys to start Tyler Smith at left tackle vs. Lions over Tyler Guyton
Very notable news —
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) October 13, 2024
While Tyler Guyton is active for today’s game, the Dallas Cowboys will be starting Tyler Smith at left tackle and T.J. Bass at left guard, per @KristiCowboy.#DallasCowboys
Assuming Guyton isn't 100 percent healthy, starting Smith at left tackle is the smart move. The NFL's sack leader entering Week 6, Hutchinson wreaks havoc on both sides of the line. Given Guyton's struggles when healthy, having Smith go head-to-head with Hutchinson is in the offense's best interest even though Smith is far more effective at left guard.
Growing pains were expected for Guyton in his first season, but he's been a big detriment to the offense early in his career.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Guyton's 49.0 pass-blocking grade ranks 53rd out of 58 qualified tackles. In addition, he is 51st in pass-blocking efficiency and is tied for the second-most sacks allowed with four. The Oklahoma product also has the ninth-worst run-blocking grade and his eight penalties are the second-most at the position.
Suffice it to say it has been tough-sledding for the No. 29 overall pick. It's fair to question if he should be starting at left tackle in year one, but he's going to be better for it in the future. Hiccups were expected and it's not like he was outright benched for Smith. If not for the injury, odds are he'd be protecting Prescott's blindside against the Lions.
Regardless, Cowboys fans will be watching closely on Sunday to see if the line looks better (or worse) without its first-round tackle.