It’s officially a new era of football in Dallas as Tyron Smith and Zack Martin both retired this offseason. Smith left in free agency during the 2024 offseason, signing a one-year deal with the Jets. Martin played his final season in Dallas last year, playing the fewest number of games (10) in a single season. Both players are future Hall of Famers, and the Cowboys will now have to adjust for life without them this season.
But don’t feel too bad for the Cowboys. They still have another Pro Bowl offensive lineman to lean on going into the season. Tyler Smith is going into his fourth season in the NFL, but he already has two Pro Bowl honors under his belt and was voted a second-team All-Pro selection after a fantastic 2023 season at left guard. He is the next up in a long history of great guards in Dallas, and the Cowboys are hoping he can be even better in 2025.
In a recent article by Jonathon Macri of Pro Football Focus, he ranked the top 25 players under the age of 25 going into the 2025 season. That list included Smith, who was the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the league under 25.
Cowboys' Tyler Smith named one of NFL's best players under 25
Here is a snippet of what Macri had to say about the former first-round pick from Tulsa:
"Smith has established himself as a very good run blocker, ranking in the top 20 at his position in each of his first three seasons, though he has also developed nicely as a pass blocker. He has gradually increased his PFF pass-blocking grade each year since entering the NFL, culminating in a 76.0 mark in 2024 — a top 10 figure for the position."Jonathon Macri, Pro Football Focus
Smith just turned 24 in April, yet he’s already started 47 games in the NFL, 50 if you include the postseason. The Cowboys plan to leave him at left guard so he can master his craft and become the most dominant guard in the league. With his age and natural strength, it’s not hard to envision that happening.
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Dallas is hopeful that Tyler Booker's addition, along with the development of Cooper Beebe and Tyler Guyton, will allow the offensive line to take a big step forward this year. It’s one of the youngest offensive lines in football, with Terence Steele (27) being the veteran of the group. There are some negatives that come with a young offensive line, but Dallas wants to rebuild what they had with Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and Travis Frederick in the mid-2010s.
Time will tell if Guyton, Booker, or Beebe become Pro Bowl-caliber players, but we know that Tyler Smith is already there. The Cowboys are lucky to have him, and it makes building the offensive line much easier, considering his dominance and ability to play tackle in a pinch, if needed. Going into Year 4, this should be Smith’s best season to date.
If Dallas wants to make any noise this season, they are going to need him to be a force at left guard. Luckily, that’s what he’s been his entire career in the NFL to date.