The Dallas Cowboys never stop investing in the offensive line, which is why it's one of the areas of the team that you never really have to worry about. But even with all of the high draft picks and money spent, the Cowboys' offensive line isn't perfect.
And the weakest link up front may not be who you would expect.
A recent graphic put out by ESPN researcher Mike Clay shows the player rating for every starting offensive lineman in the NFL right now, and while Cowboys fans might immediately think Terence Steele has the lowest rating out of any of the five starting linemen, it's actually his bookend -- Tyler Guyton.
As much criticism as Steele receives, it might be the former first-round left tackle who is actually the biggest liability for the Cowboys up front.
Tyler Guyton is the Dallas Cowboys' biggest offensive line question mark entering 2026
Current 2026 NFL Offensive Line projected starters: pic.twitter.com/oGq7k4anGY
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) May 12, 2026
The good news for both Guyton and the Cowboys is that they are certainly not in bad shape as a unit. According to these metrics, which take into account pass and run block win rates, PFF grade, pedigree, and more, Guyton is the one guy preventing Dallas' offensive line from being a top-10 unit in the entire league.
His overall rating of 4.8 is just creeping into the below-average realm, whereas a player like Terence Steele is a very solid 5.8.
Guyton's 57.5 overall PFF grade last year ranked 71st among NFL offensive tackles, which is an especially tough pill to swallow when you consider the fact that there are only 64 full-time starters around the league. His pass-blocking grade of 50.0 was 81st out of 89 qualifiers, which is what's really dragging him down.
Based on PFF grade alone, it's a shocker that he's only sitting at a 4.8 (out of 10, presumably). But tackles were also weighted differently in this grading scale, according to Clay, which might have caused a generous little boost to Guyton's overall score.
Although Terence Steele might not be on anyone's preseason All-Pro watch list, he's a really solid run blocker on the right side and an average or below-average pass protector. Guyton barely cracked the top 50 in the run blocking category last year (46th in PFF run-blocking grade) and obviously struggled in pass protection.
Even if these grades and ratings seem extremely arbitrary, they're at least trying to take into account a variety of different metrics to assess offensive line play, and the ultimate reality is that the Cowboys will have to be watching Guyton closely this season.
As a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Guyton is playing this season for his long-term future. Dallas will have to decide next offseason whether or not they're going to pick up his fifth-year option.
After playing in just 10 games last year (and 15 as a rookie), there is a lot at stake for Guyton heading into 2026.
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