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Nathan Thomas

HC Brian Schottenheimer: Cowboys To Hold RT Competition

November 14th, 2025 at 10:41am CST by Adam La Rose

When the Cowboys play their first game coming off the bye, they could have a new right tackle in place. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer opened the door to a midseason change at that position.

Schottenheimer said (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News) an open competition will be held at right tackle. Such scenarios are of course commonplace during training camp, but when they emerge in the middle of a season they are more noteworthy. In this particular case, a high-profile benching is being considered.

Terence Steele has operated as Dallas’ top right tackle for much of six-year Dallas tenure. The former UDFA has made 83 starts and counting, and in September 2023 he landed a long-term commitment from the Cowboys. Team and player agreed to a five-year, $82.5MM extension, a pact which has Steele on the books through 2028.

The 28-year-old has not met expectations since signing that deal, however. Pass blocking in particular has been an issue throughout Steele’s career, and in 2025 his PFF grade in that department sits at 56.4. That is the third-worst figure of his NFL tenure, and it has no doubt played a role in Cowboys’ decision to contemplate a switch. 2024 seventh-rounder Nathan Thomas is the likeliest candidate to take on first-team duties in the event Steele is benched.

A move along those lines would lead to a largely unproven figure taking on a major role up front. Thomas did not see the field as a rookie and he has logged just 96 offensive snaps in 2025. The Cowboys could stand to benefit from improved play along the O-line as they look to make a playoff push down the stretch, though.

In the bigger picture, of course, moving Steele to the bench would lead to questions about a parting of ways during the offseason. The Texas Tech product is not owed any guaranteed salary beyond 2025, and a post-June 1 release in particular would yield notable cap savings this coming spring. It will be interesting to see if such a move receives consideration by means of a right tackle change or if Steele remains atop the depth chart and plays his way into a continued Dallas stay.

Cowboys Reduce Roster To 53 Players

August 27th, 2024 at 11:03pm CST by Ely Allen

After some late trades and signings, the Cowboys joined in the NFL’s mass exodus of players to get their roster down to 53 players:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

  • T Nathan Thomas

Placed on IR (designated for return):

A number of veterans who were hoping to make the team in Dallas this year saw that hope come to an end. Freeman couldn’t compete with the young backups behind Ezekiel Elliott. Lawson couldn’t contribute to a depleted defensive line, either.

Rogers, the team’s seventh-round pick out of Auburn, is the only drafted rookie to be waived, though Thomas, the team’s other seventh-round pick out of Louisiana, will miss the entire season on injured reserve.

Brevyn Spann-Ford didn’t end up getting drafted, but the 24-year-old, 6-foot-7 tight end out of Minnesota will be the fourth tight end on the roster to start the year.

Cowboys Sign Round 1 T Tyler Guyton, Six Other Draftees

May 9th, 2024 at 7:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

With some teams set for rookie minicamps this weekend, a flurry of draft pick signings is transpiring Thursday. The Cowboys are in on the action; all but one of their draftees is now under contract.

This includes a deal with first-round tackle Tyler Guyton, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer tweets. Dallas inked the Oklahoma prospect, whom the team drafted at No. 29 overall. Holdouts involving first-rounders are much rarer now thanks to the NFL’s slot system, which came to be as part of the 2011 CBA. Guyton’s four-year deal (feat. a fifth-year option) will be fully guaranteed.

The Cowboys have also signed offensive lineman Cooper Beebe (Round 3, Kansas State), linebacker Marist Liufau (Round 3), cornerback Caelen Carson (Round 5), wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, tackle Nathan Thomas (Round 6) and defensive tackle Justin Rogers (Round 7). Only second-rounder Marshawn Kneeland is unsigned. The second round has featured the longest waits in recent years, due to each draft seeing guarantee gains made by second-round picks.

Guyton looks to have a clear path to being the Cowboys’ Week 1 left tackle. Although the prospect of the team moving Tyler Smith back to left tackle surfaced earlier this offseason, it looks like — for the time being, at least — the team plans to keep its versatile left-sider at left guard. The Cowboys saw both Smith and Zack Martin earn All-Pro honors last season, helping the team withstand the losses of All-Decade LT Tyron Smith and center starter Tyler Biadasz. Beebe, chosen out of Kansas State, has a decent shot at taking over at center.

Dallas held the No. 24 overall pick but moved down five spots (via Detroit) and landed Guyton at 29. The extra selection turned into Beebe. Guyton will be asked to make the less common transition from college right tackle to NFL LT. The Saints may well ask Taliese Fuaga to do the same this year, though that is not certain just yet. Guyton stands 6-foot-8 — three inches taller than Tyron Smith — and 322 pounds. This year’s draft featured one of the best tackle crops in recent draft history; Guyton became the ninth tackle — if Duke LT (and likely Buccaneers center) Graham Barton is counted — chosen this year.

A TCU transfer, Guyton only made 14 college starts and did not earn first- or second-team All-Big 12 acclaim while a Sooner. But he checked in as a first-round-caliber talent. And the Cowboys have found a number of standouts in Round 1 — from Martin to the Smiths to Micah Parsons to CeeDee Lamb — over the past several years. They will hope Guyton can become a long-term blindside presence post-Tyron Smith, who joined the Jets in free agency.