The first-round draft pick for the Dallas Cowboys in 2024 is looking to get a lot more starting time. Tyler Guyton, who played several snaps in the preseason opener against the LA Rams, is likely to move into a guaranteed LT1 spot after the injury of Chuma Edoga.
With Chuma Edoga Out, Tyler Guyton Is The Next Starter
Chuma Edoga’s Injury
In the preseason game against the Rams, Edoga went down with a toe injury during the first quarter. He was in a walking boot throughout the rest of the game but is likely out for some of the regular season.
The injury is expected to keep Edoga out of the game for at least a month, if not longer depending on recovery and rehab.
As was the case with Sam Williams’ injury moving Marshawn Kneeland into a position with much more playing time, the same is bound to happen for the rookie Guyton.
Tyler Guyton on Playing Time
In a post-game interview, Guyton was proud of himself and what he accomplished throughout the game with the Rams. When asked about his gameplay, he said:
“I thought I did pretty good, handled my business. There’s things to work on of course, but got the butterflies out.”
After suffering from an illness, Guyton missed a few days of training camp. His opportunity to get on the field in spite of that, and play at the level he did, shows what he’ll be capable of once he’s back at 100%.
The Depth Behind Guyton
However, if Guyton is moving up the depth chart, it leaves a lot of question marks behind him.
The Cowboys unofficial depth chart is available to the public. It has Edoga as LT1, Guyton as LT2, and Asim Richards at LT3. The other tackles behind Terrence Steele at RT1 are Matt Waletzko at RT2 and Earl Bostick Jr. at RT3.
There wasn’t much depth to begin with when it came to this position and there’s significantly less available now. Guyton, although showing huge talent, is still a rookie. Although Edoga was ahead of him on the depth chart, this is only his second year with the Cowboys. This could be the reason Edoga was originally put in front of Guyton on the depth chart With six years in the league and it being year two with the Cowboys, Edoga had Guyton beat on seniority.
Richards was a 2023 fifth-round draft pick out of North Carolina, who hasn’t gotten much time on the field. Similar to Waletzko, who was drafted in 2022 yet hasn’t had any star potential. This is Bostick’s first real season on the team as well.
The hope is that Guyton is able to shine when asked to step up the way that he did in the game with the Rams. Without him, there isn’t much hope for Dak Prescott’s blindside.
More Preseason Snaps To Come
It’ll be expected for Guyton to get even more playing time during the upcoming game against the Las Vegas Raiders. If eyes weren’t on him before to see what he was capable of, they definitely will be now.
With the expectation of starting in the first game of the season, Guyton has a lot of weight on his shoulders. But with how he has handled it all so far, there isn’t much to be worried about.
Main Image: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports
