FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys are trading offensive tackle Nathan Thomas to the Houston Texans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sunday. Rapoport posted the report 90 minutes before the league’s 53-man deadline, noting Thomas adds depth to Houston’s line and “stays in-state.”
Dallas is getting a 2027 seventh-round pick for Thomas, Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News reported, citing a person familiar with the situation.
Every NFL team has to be at 53 players by 5 p.m. CT Sunday. Waiver claims are awarded at noon CT Monday, and teams must report practice squads to the league by 5 p.m. CT Monday.
Dallas has now moved twice on the offensive line in two days. On Saturday, the Cowboys traded a third-round and sixth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for tackle Broderick Jones and a fourth-round pick.
Brian Schottenheimer Ended The Left Tackle Competition On Aug. 4
Four practices into training camp in Oxnard, California, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer named Tyler Guyton the starting left tackle. He announced it on Aug. 4, before that morning’s practice at River Ridge Playing Fields.
“I think you feel confidence,” Schottenheimer said. “Obviously we have the right to adjust some things. We’re going to keep him at starting left tackle right now. We talked to Nate and said, ‘Nate needs to show us a little bit more of consistent play to push for that.’ So I know we told you guys about the rotation, Tyler will start at left tackle and we’re excited to see how Nate handles that challenge. Tyler is playing really, really well.”
Schottenheimer had opened the job to competition in the spring. Thomas spoke about it at OTAs in June, a few days before mandatory minicamp.
“For me, it really comes down to technique and the habits that you build,” Thomas said.
Thomas started at right tackle in the preseason game at Arizona on Aug. 22, with rookie Drew Shelton at left tackle. Two days later Schottenheimer said at The Star that both were still learning technical parts of the position.
Nathan Thomas’ Two Seasons With The Dallas Cowboys
Dallas drafted Thomas 233rd overall in 2024. That pick came from the Las Vegas Raiders in an October 2022 trade that also brought defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins to Dallas, with the 204th selection in 2023 going back to Las Vegas.
He never played as a rookie. The Cowboys put him on injured reserve on Aug. 27, 2024.
Last season, Thomas played all 17 games, starting four at left tackle when Guyton was out. He had 341 offensive snaps (29% of team total) and 91 on special teams. He was flagged four times, including a holding and a false start.
Pro Football Focus graded Thomas 39.2 overall, ranking 88th out of 89 tackles, with a pass-blocking grade of 31.6.
Thomas is playing on a four-year rookie contract worth $4,125,972 that runs through 2027. The signing bonus was $105,972. His base salary for this season is $1,005,000, with a cap charge of $1,031,493, and Spotrac reports $52,986 in dead money.
Thomas is 24 years old, stands 6-4, and weighs 331 pounds. He played for Louisiana-Lafayette from 2019 to 2023 and grew up in New Orleans.
The Dallas Cowboys’ Tackle Room After The Trade
Guyton and Terence Steele are the starters, with Jones, Shelton, and Ajani Cornelius behind them.
Guyton was selected as the 29th pick in 2024 from Oklahoma and has started 21 games over two seasons. An ankle injury caused him to miss the entire 2025 season after 10 starts. Steele has been a starter in 91 of his 96 games since joining as an undrafted player from Texas Tech in 2020, playing 1,162 offensive snaps last season, which accounts for 98% of the total.
Shelton was the 112th pick in April out of Penn State. He spent three weeks at right tackle in camp before moving to the left side days ahead of the Arizona game. Cornelius, the 204th pick in 2025, has played one NFL game.
What The Houston Texans Are Adding At Tackle
Houston starts Aireontae Ersery at left tackle. Ersery went 48th in the 2025 draft and started as a rookie.
The Texans took Blake Fisher 59th overall in 2024. He has spent this preseason competing for Houston’s swing tackle job, and he played 337 offensive snaps a year ago. Pro Football Focus graded Fisher 67.6 overall, 42nd among 89 qualified tackles.
The Cowboys finished the preseason 2-1. They lost 27-24 to the New Orleans Saints on Friday night at AT&T Stadium. Dallas opens at the New York Giants on Sept. 13, with kickoff at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
