Tyler Smith isn’t certain where he’ll be lining up when the Cowboys take the field against the Giants in Week One, but he knows he’ll be more comfortable than he was a year ago.
Smith was a first-round pick in 2022 and he said this weekend that his early days with the team were filled with the nerves that come from being a new fish in a pond filled with more experienced peers. Smith wound up starting every game for the team while shuttling between guard and tackle, which made for an experience that’s left him without any doubts about how he fits into the team this time around.
“After getting that first year under my belt, I understand what the expectation is,” Smith said, via Gabriel Trevino of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’ve gone through camp, OTAs, I’ve been through the season before. Being comfortable and acclimated to what I need to do has helped me a lot — in terms of being confident and who I am. That first year was kind of nervous. Everything was new. Going to a new locker room and some of the guys are like 30, 34. I’m was used to being in a locker room with 18-23-year-olds. Getting acclimated with the guys helped me a lot.”
Smith spent much of the spring playing left tackle, but moved back inside to left guard for the team’s minicamp as Tyron Smith — one of those veterans who greeted Smith last year — went back to his familiar spot. Training camp will shed more light on where everyone will be in the fall and a successful rookie year makes it easier for all involved to feel confident about Smith thriving in any position.
