FRISCO, Texas – History has shown that there is a clear standard of excellence in the Cowboys' offensive line room. Tyler Smith is putting himself in position to be the next in line, as he became the third guard in NFL history to make two Pro Bowls by the age of 23.
"I'm thankful for my teammates helping me build every day," Smith said. "I wouldn't be who I am if I wasn't going against the defense and those guys, Osa, Micah all those guys, so huge thank you to them."
Smith's second straight Pro Bowl selection marks a Cowboys offensive lineman being in the Pro Bowl in 13 of the last 14 seasons, with 2020 being the lone exception. Back-to-back nominations is an honor for Smith, and he hopes to follow the example set by his predecessors to only get better as time goes by.
"I think it's a great steppingstone, I remember Zack [Martin] told me this is just one of those stair steps you've got to climb in your ascension," Smith said. "Always elevate, always be a player that's ascending, definitely a great honor and I'm extremely thankful."
While his mind is set on beating the Commanders on Sunday, Smith knows that eventually, he'll need to continue to step up as a leader for the offensive line going forward, and takes a lot of pride in carrying on the strong tradition for Dallas up front.
"In my mind, I think it just starts with maintaining that standard," Smith said. "When I got here, from the film room to walkthroughs, I've seen how Tyron [Smith] and Zack practice, I've seen how they study."
"I have thought about how I can be the best leader I can be; how can I continue to improve the standard that they've set before me, it is something that I take to heart every day."
Although this will only be the second time Smith has gone to the Pro Bowl, he's already taken advantage of being able to learn from the veterans that are nominated alongside him. Last year, he spoke with players like former Eagles center Jason Kelce, Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom, Lions tackle Penei Sewell and others to soak up as much as he could about the game.
"I try to pick their brains as much as I can…" Smith said. "Definitely talking to guys about the game is huge, and just being able to see all those vets there is big, so I definitely try to do what I can in terms of picking their brains."
The one constant that Smith found amongst all his veteran Pro Bowl counterparts and teammates? Consistency.
"Just being consistent in everything that they do," Smith said. "The same set Tyron takes at practice, he's going to take a thousand times in walkthrough. The same one, at the same intensity, the same way. Really just being consistent with using those fundamentals."
And so as Smith emerges as one of the cornerstone for the Cowboys upfront, he's looking forward to consistently playing at a high level – and making more Pro Bowls too.
"Continue to do the little things the right way, continue to focus on the things that made you successful in the first place…" Smith said. "At the end of the day, I want to be the greatest football player I can be, I want to be the greatest offensive lineman I can be."
