OXNARD, California -- The job of an NFL left tackle is to think and move fast on their feet while going up against some of the world's best athletes. Dallas Cowboys first-round rookie Tyler Guyton is already showing signs he can do both.
One of the first big team activities in training camp, off the field, was a team jeopardy night. Being a rookie, Guyton was selected to be the fifth player to go in front of the team, and he had to spell hippopotamus on the spot. He crushed it according to quarterback Dak Prescott.
"The dude jumped up there and spelled it as fast without any hesitation as I have ever seen. Still mind blown to be honest with you." Prescott said Friday. "His intelligence and confidence for sure. It's showing on the field, too. The guy has picked up everything we have thrown at him. Obviously from the O-line calls. When you turn on the tape, doesn't matter who is on the other side of him, he expects to win that matchup. Whether he does or he doesn't, he comes back with the same mindset and does win it that time. He's been great. He's jumped out on tape with plays against Micah or D-Law, and those are two of the best [defensive] ends in the game. So, I'm sure that's raising his confidence up. He'll continue to get mixed in there. Super proud of what he has done and where he is going. When you call spell like that, once again I'm not going to put a ceiling on you."
Despite drawing rave reviews on the spelling, Guyton felt he was selected because some of the team's veterans thought he was going to be tripped up. He instead proved them wrong.
"We were playing a game of jeopardy and for some reason I got selected to spell a word, and I felt like it was very disrespectful," Guyton said Tuesday. "So I spelled it fast. I don't know I knew how to spell hippopotamus. That's crazy. I just know how to spell. I don't know."
Guyton claims to not have a spelling bee history or an enjoyment for the spelling bee growing up, but he did dive right into his rookie karaoke song, "Mary Jane" by Rick James, with a passion.
"I did my thing on that one. I had to," Guyton said grinning. "I was the first one to go, and I had to set the tone. Every other rookie did an amazing job, too. ... It's a song that everybody knows is groovy and that would work."
The smarts and smooth groove have translated early for the rookie, from team bonding activities to the football field. Once the pads came on for the first time in Cowboys training camp on July 30, the rookie who started 13 of his 14 collegiate starts with the Oklahoma Sooners at right tackle instantly shined at left tackle, even against three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons.
"It's great work obviously," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday when asked about Guyton going toe-to-toe with Parsons at times in the team's first padded practice. "He can't get enough of it. He's doing some good things, but I think like a lot of these rookies, he's going to see how it keeps coming at him. I thought he had some nice reps against Micah."
Guyton credited left guard Tyler Smith, the Cowboys' 2022 first-round pick who moonlighted at left tackle when eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith dealt with injuries, for much of his early development.
"He's helped me out a lot," Guyton said. "He's helped me out a lot. He's like a big brother to me. Honestly, he's a great teammate, a great person oft the field as well. I learned a lot from him. ... He makes my job easier and also every other guy in the O-line room. Everybody can give you something, you can learn something from everybody."
Tyler Smith is in awe of Guyton's movements at his size (6-foot-7, 322 pounds), especially since he is a rookie in the midst of a position change. That says a lot because Tyron Smith (6-foot-5, 320 pounds) is a physical marvel in his own right.
"It's not very often that you find a human being who measures how he does, 6-7, 330 and has light feet and can just move and just bully dudes," Smith said. "When he really becomes confident and gets the playbook down and does all that stuff, the sky is truly is the limit for him and his development. ... He's a confident guy. He knows the tools that he has. He knows how rare they are. It's just a matter of time before he solidifies things and he's playing at that truly elite, elite level."
Both Guyton and Smith are Texas natives, with Smith from the North Crowley area of Fort Worth and Guyton from Manor, just outside of Austin. That's helped advance their early bond outside of just lining up next to each other in practice.
"It feels like I've known him before I got here, it's kind of weird," Guyton said. "We have a pretty cool chemistry."
An even better feeling than Guyton's chemistry with his offensive line mate is what he did against Parsons, who led the NFL in quarterback pressures (103), quarterback pressure rate (21.8%) and pass-rush win rate (35.3%), in the Cowboys' first padded practice last week, stonewalling him on multiple occasions.
"Of course it did. We're both getting each other better," Guyton said when asked if beating Parsons early on multiple reps felt good. "It definitely boosts [my confidence]. He is one of the best pass rushers ever, probably in the league (today). Going up against him, even losing, helps me out."
Just a year ago, Guyton was sitting on his couch on Sundays, rooting on Parsons and watching him in awe. Fast forward to this year, and the lifelong fan got to see his dad lay down on the star logo in the middle of Dallas' indoor practice field after the Cowboys selected him 29th overall. Plus, he now battles Parsons on a regular basis in practice. To put it simply, Guyton is currently living out his lifelong dream.
"I would say it's a dream come true, getting to watch this team work and then coming out and doing it myself and being a part of it feels really good," Guyton said.
Parsons himself even compared Guyton to Tyron Smith, incredibly high praise, when he likened their battles to the ones Pro Football Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware and Smith used to have in the early 2010s on this same field.
"I can't teach him too much, I can't have Tyler dominating me, but against fellow pass rushers around the league, I will be more than welcome to give him tips and help him make his own way," Parsons said on July 26. "As [DeMarcus Ware] and Tyron came up in the league, if you ask D-Ware, he would say he dominated Tyron. If you ask Tyron, it was back and forth. I wish I could see the footage. It will be one of those things where we feed off each other and make each other better every day."
Even though Guyton is Smith's successor as the Cowboys' new left tackle, Prescott is going out of his way to instill the mindset upon his rookie that Guyton only needs to be himself instead of focusing on what his future Hall of Fame predecessor accomplished.
"He has to be Tyler Guyton," Prescott said. "Doesn't really matter who played here before him, he didn't get to play with him. I'm sure when he got here someone said to him that he needed to carry the intensity Tyron has. At the end of the day, you just need to be yourself and the best version of yourself. He has already shown a glimpse of that. I promise you if he does that and is the best version of himself, that's more than enough for us. Athletic, super talented guy. As I mentioned, super smart. As he continues to put it all together, he'll be a big foundation there for us."
Now, Guyton is working his way back from an illness after missing three practices in a row -- Friday, Saturday and Monday. On Tuesday, Guyton was a limited participant. The Cowboys will play a mock game Wednesday as they gear up to host a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, an event Guyton is grinding to get back on the field for in order to continue refining his tools.
"I'm feeling better, for sure," Guyton said. "I'm just under the weather, working my way back now. We'll see what they [the doctors] say."