The relatively quiet offseason surrounding the usually loud Dallas Cowboys has tamped down discussion about one of the most pivotal training camp battles of 2026: Who will protect Dak Prescott‘s blind side?
The Cowboys left tackle competition between former first-rounder Tyler Guyton and former seventh-rounder Nathan Thomas kicks off in earnest this week from Oxnard, Calif.
“I mean, it’s the same as every day: coming to work and getting better, to try and get one percent better every day,” Guyton said following camp’s first practice on Wednesday, via the team’s official website.
While Guyton entered 2026 as the assumed starting left tackle, coach Brian Schottenheimer made a very public display that the job would be an open competition early in the spring. The decision underscored that Guyton had work to do both on his game and on staying healthy, after his first two seasons were short-circuited by injury. Schotty’s decision not to simply conduct a competition in the background highlighted the club’s desire to motivate the third-year pro.
From the sounds of it, the tactic has worked thus far.
“I [want to get] more technically sound, more confident in the playbook and the scheme and, overall, just a better player,” Guyton said. “It’s a process, of course, and we have to take it day by day, one foot in front of the other. But, at the end of the day, I’m trying to get to a certain point where I feel good about going into the season.”
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