DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys must be down to 53 players by 5 p.m. CT Sunday, and behind starting tackles Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele are Nate Thomas and rookie Drew Shelton. Klayton Adams is in his second season as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator, and Conor Riley coaches the offensive line.
On Aug. 24, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said the improvement he wants from Thomas and Shelton is technical, and that both are still learning it.
“Both incredibly talented, but they need to continue to grow and some of it’s fundamental,” Schottenheimer said. “Both of them think the game very well, but there’s fundamental things that we’re talking about with Klayton and Conor Riley that both guys can improve on, and some of it’s your hand usage and replacing your hands and things like that, and how you set versus a wide technique and a tight technique. Very technical things that both those guys are still learning.”
Thomas came to Dallas as a seventh-round pick in 2024, taken 233rd overall out of Louisiana. Knee tendinitis cost him his rookie season. He moved into the starting lineup last year after Guyton fractured a bone in his knee during training camp, and he finished with 4 starts and 342 offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Dallas spent a fourth-round pick on Shelton in April, 112th overall, after he started at left tackle for Penn State in each of the past two seasons.
Terence Steele And Tyler Guyton In Camp
Steele signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech in 2020 and has started 91 games in six seasons. He has played every regular-season game over the past three years.
Schottenheimer was critical of Steele’s pad level and his ability to set the edge across a stretch of practices that included joint workouts with the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints.
“He needs to be better,” Schottenheimer said.
Dallas moved Thomas from left tackle to right tackle with the second unit, keeping him and Shelton in position to prepare for possible swing-tackle duties.
“I would say it’s been up and down,” Adams said of Steele’s performance over the past three weeks. “He’s a guy that’s going into year seven, and he’s never going to ask for a day off, and he’s never going to ask for a break. So we’re just searching for ways to help him, and help him play at his best and most consistent.”
Taken 29th overall out of Oklahoma in 2024, Guyton is entering his third season. Over the past three weeks in Oxnard, California, he built on his offseason work and took hold of the left side.
Four Offensive Line Targets
Cowboys Wire listed Houston Texans tackle Blake Fisher on Thursday among four offensive line targets for Dallas. No discussions between the two teams have been reported.
The other three names were Las Vegas Raiders guard Jordan Meredith, Buffalo Bills lineman Nick Broeker, and free-agent tackle Jonah Williams.
What Blake Fisher Has Done In Houston
In the second round of the 2024 draft, Houston took Fisher 59th overall out of Notre Dame. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds, Fisher has appeared in 31 games and made 15 starts through two NFL seasons. PFF graded him at 44.7 overall as a rookie in 2024.
Last season, Fisher was on the field for 337 offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He gave up 6 pressures and did not allow a sack. He was flagged 5 times.
PFF graded Fisher at 67.6 overall in 2025, 42nd among the 89 tackles who qualified. His pass blocking grade was 61.8 and his run blocking grade was 69.4.
Thomas graded at 39.2 overall that season, 88th among the same 89 tackles. His pass blocking grade was 31.6 and his run blocking grade was 52.9. He allowed 23 pressures, including 3 sacks and 4 quarterback hits. He was flagged 4 times.
Fisher has two years remaining on his rookie contract, at $1.3 million in 2026 and $1.6 million in 2027. He has spent this preseason competing for Houston’s swing tackle job.
Waiver claims are due at noon CT Monday. Dallas opens the regular season against the New York Giants on Sept. 13.
