FRISCO, Texas — Tyler Guyton was not wearing a helmet Friday afternoon. He wasn’t actually blocking any edge rushers, either. But he had on his No. 60 Dallas Cowboys practice jersey as he went through drills during the first day of the team’s rookie orientation.
Standing outside the locker room after the initial 30-minute session on the field, Dallas’ first-round pick said it had finally sunk in that he’s a professional football player.
“I felt good out there,” he added. “When I put my helmet on it will be a little bit different, but definitely putting on my jersey felt good.”
The 6-7, 322-pound Guyton wasted no time trying to get adjusted to his new job. Making the move from right tackle at Oklahoma to left tackle with the Cowboys, he rented an Airbnb near The Star two days after he was drafted. He signed his rookie contract Thursday.
Cowboys first-round pick Tyler Guyton on immediately getting an Airbnb near the team’s headquarters and getting his rookie contract signed: “I couldn’t wait to get up here. I just wanted to get to work.” pic.twitter.com/dVwt1Yu21h
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 10, 2024
“I just wanted to get to work,” he said. “You can sit at home for two weeks or you can get to work. I just wanted to get up here early and get acclimated.”
Since the collective bargaining agreement prevents rookies from participating at the team facility before rookie minicamp, Guyton spent the last two weeks working across the street with offensive line guru Duke Manyweather and his O-Line Masterminds program. Several Cowboys players work with Manyweather during the offseason. He also trains offensive line prospects during the pre-draft process.
FREE CONTENT: @dallascowboys 1st round pick, @TylerGuyton14 is making the transition to Left Tackle in the NFL after being a Right Tackle at @OU_Football
Watch the Drill of the Day for FREE exclusively on the @OLMTraining app 📲
🔗https://t.co/Y9OIlrJuZl pic.twitter.com/D8QQlvXZau
— OL Masterminds Training (@OLMTraining) May 9, 2024
“His techniques are very similar to (Cowboys offensive line coach Mike Solari),” Guyton said. “He’s just a great coach all around. He has an extremely pro approach to what he does, he takes no bull—- and we have fun.”
Improving his footwork has been one of Guyton’s top goals. It’s been part of his workouts since NFL teams started telling him during the pre-draft process that they’d like him to move from right to left tackle. According to Guyton, that extra work has made the transition “extremely smooth.”
“It’s good to see him on the field,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “Obviously, his size, his athletic ability and he’s young, that’s exciting. He’s very passionate. He’s very enthusiastic about this opportunity. I really do like how young and raw he is. I think he has tremendous upside.”
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While Guyton was lining up at left tackle, fellow rookie Cooper Beebe was getting reps at center. The 6-3, 322-pound standout left tackle and left guard at Kansas State has been working on snapping the ball whenever possible.
“I’ve had my dad out there catching, my little brother, whoever is available,” Beebe said. “The biggest thing is just being able to run the entire offense. At center, you got to be the one making the calls. It’s your job to call the fronts, call the IDs. I just think that’s the biggest difference.”
After Dallas lost starting center Tyler Biadasz and starting left tackle Tyron Smith during free agency, the positions became two of its top draft needs. Instead of picking at No. 24 in the first round, the Cowboys traded back with the Detroit Lions to No. 29 and gained an early third-round pick in the process. They selected Guyton at 29 and Beebe with the third-round pick. The hope is that they found immediate starters at two positions.
“Just based off what we’ve seen (Friday),” McCarthy said, “I think (Beebe) is off to a good start (at center). He looked very comfortable doing it.”
Guyton and Beebe knew each other from both playing in the Big 12. If things go as planned, they could be in the same NFL offensive line room for the foreseeable future. The two spent extra time Thursday night at the team hotel going over walk-through reps and quizzing each other so they were on the same page for their first day of rookie orientation.
“It’s new for both of us,” Guyton said. “We were pretty cool before this, but now we’re together. We’re pretty tight, going over plays together, doing whatever we can.”
Cowboys rookie orientation is underway at The Star. As expected, Tyler Guyton working at left tackle, Cooper Beebe at center pic.twitter.com/li3PkU97is
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 10, 2024
“As I told them in the team meeting,” McCarthy said, “this is a really special, cool time of your life and it’s really a five-year sequence that you can change not only your own life but your family’s trajectory of what’s out there.
“They’ve made a huge first impression on everybody. … I hope that they stay above the standard tomorrow. And then it’s always cool when you see them integrate with the veterans, and that will occur on Monday.”
(Photo of Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe: LM Otero / AP Photo)
