FRISCO, Texas — It's been a roller coaster for Tyler Guyton in his first season in the NFL and with the Dallas Cowboys. As the 2024 first-round pick, there was no shortage of pressure and expectations heaped onto him by a team that waved goodbye to Tyron Smith, a future first-ballot Hall of Fame left tackle, needing Guyton to step in immediately and fill those shoes.
Through the first seven games, having missed one due to a knee injury, Guyton's transition to left tackle at the professional level has been a mixed bag of great showings, e.g., his Week 1 battle against Myles Garrett, and instances he'd like to have back — including penalties.
When asked what he's keying in on most heading into Week 9, his answer was yes.
"I'm trying to get better at everything, you know?" said the highly-accountable 23-year-old.
To his credit, he's progressing — evident in both his numbers and in what he's putting on film most recently.
A quick comparison between his production against the San Francisco 49ers, one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL, over his previous outing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, another one of the best in the league, Guyton is trending in the right direction.
In his 23 snaps in Pittsburgh, he allowed three pressures on 15 pass rush snaps (20% pressure rate) and 0.5 sacks. But in his 62 snaps against the 49ers, he allowed only three pressures on 40 pass rush snaps (7.5% pressure rate) and zero sacks on Dak Prescott.
"At times, I try to focus on certain things or certain plays but, as a whole, I try to get better at everything," said Guyton. "And I still have everything in the world to work on. I'm not polished up yet.
"I'm still working."
As a reminder, Guyton also missed time in training camp and the preseason, an illness stealing much-needed reps.
It's also key to note that Guyton committed only one penalty against the 49ers, a holding call that was declined. His lone penalty against the Steelers was a false start. Guyton took no time off from pre-draft preparation through the start of his first official training camp, and he still hasn't, continuing to work with the famed offensive line guru Duke Manyweather with OL Masterminds in Frisco between Cowboys' practices.
Again, there is no shortage of pressure applied to Guyton by the situation itself, but it's the pressure he puts on himself, the type that comes from inside of his own mind that fuels him toward hoping to be legendary for the team he grew up as a rabid fan of, that keeps him locked in on taking steps.
And, for a rookie first-round pick, it's all about how many steps can be taken forward, quickly.
"If you wanna be great, you gotta be harder on yourself, said Guyton. "You gotta be your biggest critic. You gotta want it more than anybody else wants it for you."
Forward, march.
