Tyler Smith (born April 3, 2001) is an American professional football guard for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.
Early life Smith grew up in Fort Worth, Texas and attended North Crowley High School. He was rated a three-star recruit and initially committed to play college football for the Abilene Christian Wildcats. Smith decommitted and signed to play at Tulsa over offers from Houston, Navy, and New Mexico.
College career Smith redshirted the 2019 season, playing in the final four games with two starts as a true freshman. In 2020, Smith started all nine games at left tackle for Tulsa during the team's COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and was named first-team all-American Athletic Conference (AAC). He also was named to the 2020 FWAA all-freshman team. In 2021, he started 12 of the Golden Hurricane's 13 games and was named second team All-AAC as a redshirt sophomore. Following the end of the season, he announced that he would forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility and enter the 2022 NFL draft.
Professional career
Smith was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round (24th overall) in the 2022 NFL draft. As a rookie, he started in all 17 games in the 2022 season. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. In the 2023 season, he appeared in and started 14 games.
On April 27, 2025, the Cowboys picked up the fifth-year option on Smith's contract. He then signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension with $81.2 million guaranteed on September 13, making him the highest-paid guard in the NFL.
NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high
Year Team Games Offense GP GS Snaps Pct Holding False start Decl/Pen Acpt/Pen 2022 DAL 17 17 1,144 99% 5 4 3 9 2023 DAL 14 14 941 97% 6 2 1 10 2024 DAL 16 16 1,055 96% 2 1 3 4 2025 DAL 16 16 1,109 99% 3 4 2 7 Career 63 63 4,249 - 16 11 9 30
References
External links Dallas Cowboys bio Tulsa Golden Hurricane bio