June is here, and the Dallas Cowboys are back in action. Mandatory minicamp begin this week on the 16th, meaning we officially have football content back, at least in some capacity.
Dallas’ roster looks significantly different from what it did at this time last year, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. With that thought in mind, today we continue our series ranking the top 10 players on the Cowboys roster for the 2026 season.
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5) Tyler Smith
Age: 25
Years Pro: 4
NFL Awards: 1X All-Pro (2023:2nd team) 3x Pro Bowl (2023,2024,2025)
2025 Recap: It’s pretty hard to believe that Tyler Smith is about to enter his fifth season in the NFL. It does not seem like long ago that the Cowboys drafted the talented linemen with the 24th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Smith has been one of Dallas’ best draft picks in the last decade, transforming into arguably the best guard in football.
2025 got off to a great start for Smith off the field as the Cowboys rewarded the talented linemen with a four-year, $96M contract extension a week into the regular season. Now playing on a big contract, expectations were high for the former first-round pick. As he has done virtually his entire NFL career, Smith lived up to those expectations and was far and away Dallas’ most productive offensive lineman.
In 16 regular-season games, Smith allowed just 23 pressures and three sacks while also posting the best offensive grade (75.3) and run blocking grade (81.1) of all Cowboys’ offensive linemen. It was business as usual for the three-time Pro Bowler, and his continued dominance was a key reason for Dallas’ offensive success.
One of the more interesting things to come out of Smith’s 2025 campaign is what happened at the end of the year. In Dallas’ final three regular-season games, they decided to play Smith at left tackle instead of guard. Despite Smith making it clear he was much more comfortable at guard earlier in the year, the Cowboys wanted to see what he could do on the outside.
To no one’s surprise, Smith was just as good at tackle. In those three games, the 25-year-old posted a pass blocking efficiency grade of 97.7 while also recording a pass blocking grade of 71.7, more than five points higher than his season average.
2026 Preview: The late-season position shift certainly plays into projecting what things will look like for Smith in 2026. While the Cowboys have made it clear they intend to let Tyler Guyton and Nate Thomas battle for the starting left tackle spot at training camp, if both struggle or are unable to stay on the field, it’s fair to assume Dallas will consider moving Smith back outside.
Smith has made it clear he is more comfortable at the guard spot, and you have to imagine, with how much success he has had, Dallas will do whatever they can to keep him there. Still, with how much is riding on this year, there is no guarantee he will stay there all season.
Whether he’s playing at tackle or guard, if healthy, it’s almost a guarantee that Smith will have another Pro Bowl-caliber season in 2026. This could very well be the season that the 25-year-old is named a First-Team All-Pro for the first time in his career.
Prediction: Tyler Smith starts all 17 regular-season games at guard and is named a First-Team All-Pro.
