Dak Prescott will only go as far as his left tackle situation allows

The Dallas Cowboys enter 2026 with one of the NFL's most loaded offenses on paper. Dallas returns all 11 offensive starters, including superstar wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, running back Javonte Williams and a dominant young interior offensive line featuring Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, and standout sophomore guard Tyler Booker.

With head coach Brian Schottenheimer and offensive line coach Klayton Adams running the group, Dak Prescott, entering his 11th professional season, has every piece around him to engineer a career year as he looks to shake off back-to-back seasons without a deep playoff run.

He has everything he needs, except a settled left tackle to protect his blind side. As training camp operations prepare to open in California end of this month, the Cowboys coaching staff still does not know who will secure the premium tackle role. The job has officially devolved into a two-man training camp race between former 2024 first-round pick Tyler Guyton and seventh-round developmental tackle Nate Thomas.

Schottenheimer made the position battle official during team OTAs earlier this summer. "We're gonna make Tyler earn it," Schottenheimer stated to reporters, reinforcing that a highly competitive training environment will ultimately bring out the absolute best version of both young blocking assets.

On paper, Guyton should have the upper hand because he has 21 career starts. But his actual play on the field tells a completely different story. Last year was a mess of mistakes and bad breaks. He gave up 31 pressures and six hits on the quarterback in just 648 snaps. 

To make matters worse, he couldn't stay healthy. A bad knee injury ruined his training camp, and a high ankle sprain ended his season early. He even lost his starting job late in the year when the team had to move Tyler Smith over from guard to bail them out.

And, Thomas is not a safe backup plan because Pro Football Focus literally ranked him near the very bottom of the league. This exact mess is why Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated says the left tackle spot will make or break the Cowboys' entire season. 

He wrote, "If Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams can make that spot a strength, then the line can be the team’s foundation, and Dak Prescott will have everything he needs around him to have a career year."

Right now, Prescott has a flawless roster around him to put up MVP numbers, but none of it matters if his blind side is wide open. With a massive Week 1 game fast approaching, Dallas needs to find an answer fast.

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