Stephen Jones reveals Cowboys' plan at left tackle after Tyler Guyton injury

For the rest of training camp and possibly into the early portion of the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys are without Tyler Guyton. Originally, a torn ACL was the fear but after undergoing an MRI, a bone fracture is actually the issue with a 4-6 week recovery. A huge sigh of relief for Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones.

“It was a huge, huge plus,” Jones said via 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “Not only for us but the organization. The coaching staff is smiling ear to ear today. It’s just because he was making really great progress out there and I think he’ll continue to do that. He’s certainly learned a lot, matured a lot. I think this new coaching staff has helped him.”

There is a chance Guyton could be available for the season opener against Philadelphia on Sept. 4. Until then, Dallas still needs somebody to run first-team reps at left tackle. Asim Richards got run there at times last year when Guyton was on the sideline.

However, Jones identified Nate Thomas as the short-term Guyton replacement. He spoke highly of the former seventh-round selection who enters his second NFL season.

“One guy I’ll point out, and he’s probably going to go with ones until we get Tyler back, is Nate Thomas,” Jones said. “He’s having a really good camp for us, he’s exceeded expectations, he’s serious-minded about what he’s doing out there. The coaches are really liking what he’s doing out there.”

Thomas was a Day 3 pick of the Cowboys back in 2024 at the No. 233 overall selection. No snaps were recorded during the regular season as a rookie — instead, he got all of his action during the preseason. Now, Thomas might have an incredible opportunity ahead of him due to Guyton’s injury.

A ton of offensive line influence is on the Cowboys’ coaching staff. Outside of position coach Conor Riley, new offensive coordinator Clayton Adams came over from the Arizona Cardinals, where he was the OL coach. It all ties together with Brian Schottenheimer‘s desire to make the up-front unit the offense’s primary focus.

“A guy to watch out for is Nate Thomas,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s doing great. He’s a guy we didn’t get to see a lot of football out of last year. He’s been great… He worked his ass off getting back. He had a great spring, worked incredibly hard and was here all the time. We’re moving him around, he’s playing multiple spots. He looks really good right now at tackle. He’s a big guy that’s hard to get around. I love that flexibility that he brings.”