Why Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe are excelling in new positions on Cowboys OL

Say all you want about Jerry Jones’ inability to keep the talent he has – and we’ve all done more than enough of that in the cases of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons – but we have to give a proverbial tip of the 10-gallon hat to Dallas’ personnel people, led by rockstar VP of Player Personnel Will McClay, for their ability to identify and maximize prospect talent in the draft.

Lamb and Parsons were each first-round picks in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and it wasn’t tough to see that each of them had what it took to be among the best players at their positions. But McClay and his crew have also stolen future stars like Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Osa Odighizuwa outside of the first round.

The 2024 Cowboys draft seems to have representatives from each of the two groups – the obvious first-round talent in Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton, and the more hidden future star in Kansas State offensive lineman Cooper Beebe.

Dallas got Guyton with the 29th overall pick in the first round, circled back for Western Michigan defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland (another guy who’s already looking like a pro on the field) with the 56th overall pick in the second round, and then selected Beebe with the 73rd overall pick in the third round.

None of this is unusual, per se – all good personnel departments are good in part because they’re able to spot later-round talent. But in the cases of Guyton and Beebe, their early success is interesting, because they’re excelling at positions they didn’t really play in college.

In two seasons with TCU and two more with the Sooners, per Pro Football Focus, Guyton lined up 1,011 times at right tackle, and just 74 times on the left side. But the Cowboys saw him as a blindside protector right away. And Guyton did not disagree.

“Just refining my technique, repetition over and over,” Guyton said of the switch soon after he was drafted. “Working on it so much that you can’t get it wrong. It’s just switching your footwork, your hands and your technique, and also fitting the plays in the run.

“I’ve been playing left tackle since I’ve gotten into college. I actually feel like I’m better at left tackle and I’m more comfortable over there anyway. The switch should be pretty easy.”

With only 14 collegiate starts – he barely played at TCU – perhaps Guyton has had to unlearn fewer things than he might with more in-game experience. Whatever the reason, let’s just say that the transition has been more than seamless. Guyton has been dominant against some of the NFL’s better quarterback demolition experts.

In my scouting report of Guyton, I made the crushingly obvious point that he had all the attributes to play left tackle…

…but I did not expect the kind of physical dominance he’s shown in the NFL so far. It appears that Guyton has taken some time with “Ride the Lightning” on his AirPods, and he’s playing accordingly. With 7:23 left in the first half of Dallas’ game in Week 2 of the preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders, Guyton took defensive end Janarius Robinson right out of the frame in a big hurry. This was a serious two-piece.

Maxx Crosby is obviously a tougher out, and though Guyton didn’t face off with Crosby that often, there was enough for Guyton to earn the Crosby Seal of Approval.

So, yes – Tyler Guyton has the NFL’s attention at his new position. And he’s just getting started.

Beebe’s college tape was a bit of a tougher watch – while I liked his power in a phone booth, I had some concerns about his ability to stay in phase on the move. And his measurables – a second-percentile arm length of 31½”, a seventh-percentile hand size of 9¼”, and a 20th-percentile height of 6’ 3¼” among all offensive linemen in the draft since 1999 would clearly indicate a move inside for good.

In college, Beebe had 1,847 snaps at left guard, 778 at left tackle, 476 at right tackle, and 25 at right guard. The only position he didn’t play at all at Kansas State is the one he’s playing now. In the NFL. At a really high level.

McClay has said that Beebe “likes to dirt people,” and you can see what that means here.

But what was the reasoning behind Beebe’s entirely new position? According to Cowboys offensive line coach Mike Solari, it was all about Beebe’s combination of athleticism and intelligence.

“He’s working at center right now,” Solari said back in May. “He has the flexibility and versatility, but we want him to focus on the center position. Great job by our draft department. You see his initial quickness and his ability to sustain the blocks, and the type of competitor he is. He’s a smart football player and he’s another guy that has versatility, but we want him to lock into the center spot.”

So far, he’s locked in all the way. Through two preseason games, Guyton and Beebe have given up just a few quarterback hurries – one for Guyton and two for Beebe – with no sacks or quarterback hits allowed. And both have shown more than enough grit to accentuate their athletic potential.

As it stands now, the Cowboys could have a starting five in the regular season of Guyton at left tackle, Tyler Smith at left guard, Beebe at center, future Hall of Famer Zach Martin at right guard, and Terence Steele at right tackle. The only real question mark in that group is Steele, who allowed eight sacks and 56 total pressures in his fourth NFL season.

But in selecting Guyton and Beebe, the Cowboys have once again proven that no matter what player retention and salary cap issues may bedevil them, they’re right up on the market when it comes to creating the best possible environments for those young players who are just finding their feet in the NFL.