6 Biggest Winners From Cowboys Offseason Workouts

5. Tyler Smith, Guard

A first-round pick out of Tulsa in 2023, Tyler Smith was seen as a potential replacement for Tyron Smith. He started his career playing next to the star left tackle after being asked to learn guard during his rookie campaign. When the veteran Smith tore his hamstring, the rookie was asked to jump back to tackle — and he did so with ease.

As solid as he was on the outside, Smith was even better in 2023 when he moved back to guard when Tyron Smith returned. The elder Smith left in the offseason, signing with the New York Jets, and the Cowboys did nothing in free agency to replace him.

That led to rumors they could move Tyler Smith back to left tackle but Mike McCarthy threw cold water on that idea. Eventually, they landed Tyler Guyton in Round 1 of the NFL Draft, meaning Smith would stay where he was. In the long run, that could be a good thing.

There's been no shortage of praise being heaped on Smith this offseason. He was named to the Pro Football Focus top 25 players under 25 and was also named to their list of top 10 guards in the NFL. He was joined by Zack Martin, meaning the Cowboys have two of the best guards in the NFL right now.

Smith earned a 72.9 grade from PFF but what was more impressive was the 2.8 percent pressure rate. In 608 passing sets, the second-year player gave up just 17 pressures and one sack. That was while playing with a partially torn plantar fascia.