Cowboys’ Tyler Guyton’s diet changes, training have him primed for Year 2 breakout: ‘He’s leaner, he’s meaner’

FRISCO, Texas — New Dallas Cowboys right guard Tyler Booker, the team’s 12th overall pick is an incredibly popular player within the organization. 

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones even compared Booker to Cowboys Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin because of the perceived similarities with their energy and leadership. However, when asked about Booker again on Thursday at Dallas’ second organized team activities session open to media, new coach Brian Schottenheimer went out of his way to shout out 2024 first-round pick left tackle Tyler Guyton. 

“I think along with some of the other leaders up front, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Tyler Guyton,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s having a terrific offseason. He’s working his ass off. He looks great.”

Guyton, the 29th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, didn’t have the smoothest rookie year. He played in 15 of the team’s 17 games and started 11 of them. Pro Football Focus graded Guyton as the league’s 73rd-best offensive tackle as a rookie with an offensive grade of 49.4. However, he’s made some major changes this offseason that have impressed both his teammates and coaches thus far in the team’s 2025 offseason program. 

“I think that I figured out a lot about what I need to do to take care of my body to be able to play at a high level,” Guyton said on Thursday. “Also, just following the guys that have come before me and understanding that their routine is very important. I feel like I learned a lot.”

Guyton’s 14 accepted penalties against him as a rookie in 2024 were tied for the second-most in the NFL last season, just three away from being tied with new Washington Commanders offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil for the most in the NFL. 

“Of course, it’s going to be ebbs and flows, but I understand that it already happened,” Guyton said. “I’m going to move forward from it and learn from my mistakes.”

Of course, many players in the offseason say they’re going to move forward from their mistakes and make clear improvements, but sometimes that can be just lip service. Guyton is not only talking the talk, but he’s walking the walk. He was one of the first players to return to the Cowboys’ team facility, The Star in Frisco, when it was reopened to players because of his drive to be exponentially better than his up-and-down rookie campaign. It’s understandable why Guyton had an initial struggle adjusting to life as an NFL left tackle. He spent his first two collegiate seasons at TCU (2020-2021) bouncing between offensive line and tight end. Upon transferring to Oklahoma (2022-2023), he played almost exclusively at right tackle. In Dallas, he switched to the opposite side of the line. It didn’t help that he had different minor ailments that cut into his training camp participation. 

“I’ll repeat it again: Tyler’s having a great off-season. I’m talking about Tyler Guyton. I have to always specify because there are so many Tyler’s now. TG, he’s having a great off-season,” Schottenheimer said. “I think some of the new things that [new offensive coordinator] Klayton Adams and [new offensive line coach] Conor Riley have brought from a fundamental standpoint really fit him. I think you’re talking about …. He has not missed a day [this offseason]. He was one of the first guys back in the building. … He understands how important this year is for him — not just for him, but for our football team. He looks great, and he’s playing at a high level right now, going up against some good speed rushers.”

Guyton himself refused to point to the position change at the NFL level as a reason for his issues, but he did agree with Schottenheimer in that he does have a lot to prove in Year 2 in 2025. That’s why he raced back to the facility once players were allowed to return to train. 

“I’m not going to make any excuses. I just didn’t play as good as I needed to last year,” Guyton said. “I’m coming with a different attitude this year to become a better player. … There’s always going to be learning, but I feel like I’m getting way more comfortable with it [playing left tackle] now than I was at first. … I just feel like I had a lot to prove, and I needed to work on things. Getting in here earlier was the way I was going to do it.”

An early start to his offseason training certainly helped, but so too did a dramatic dietary shift. Fast food and fried food are out of Guyton’s diet, and he now sticks to a steady diet of vegetables and then proteins like salmon and steak. The effects of that change have been felt almost immediately. The toughest thing for Guyton to give up was Raising Cane’s fast food, specifically their Caniac Combo which comes with six chicken tenders, multiple sides and a drink. 

“It’s definitely changed a lot actually,” Guyton said. … “I feel better, it’s easy when you feel better. I feel like my body is more pure right now, and I can move more freely. My joints feel better, so it’s a great transition.”

His new build is something teammates have already been noticing early in the Dallas’ offseason program.

“Guyton, it was a little bit tumultuous that first year, but we’ve been training together all spring,” Cowboys Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith said. “He’s changed up his diet. He’s leaner, he’s meaner, so I can’t really ask for more right now.’

Smith, who has been named a Pro Bowler in each of the last two seasons, organized group training sessions for the offensive line outside of the Cowboys’ facility up to “five times a week” during the offseason. Helping provide some structure for Guyton and some of the other young Dallas offensive linemen could pay dividends for the Cowboys down the road.

“I think that was just huge for that camaraderie and that chemistry early on,” Smith said. “We started right after the season [ended], so it’s been awhile. … I think it’s something we all have a collective effort in doing. We got the group chat, and we’re very open about where we train because at the end of the day, we just want the guys to get good work. We need to get that good work together because ultimately we’re going to play together. … Letting people know like ‘hey, I’m going to be over here, like you come over here? We have space over here.'”

That being said, Guyton isn’t satisfied, saying he hasn’t reached his peak physical form just yet. Another part of his new regimen is a one-hour stretching session at home after completing his film study away from the facility. Guyton will go into his garage and lay down on the mats he’s put out for himself. The stretching session, at times, is almost like a hot yoga session with the left tackle calling it “hot as hell” in there.

“I want to get bigger. I want to get stronger. I want to get more flexible, Guyton said.” I want to upgrade my body in any way that I can. This isn’t the finished product.”

One factor in Guyton’s inspiration to take a major second-year leap is sitting through the retirement press conference for Tyron Smith, his predecessor and Cowboys eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle. If he can come even somewhat close to reaching No. 77’s level of play one day, Dallas certainly look back at Guyton’s career as a success. 

“It’s amazing. I feel like I almost got emotional watching Tyron Smith because that’s the guy I look up to,” Guyton said. I want to follow in his footsteps for being a great Dallas Cowboys left tackle. Hearing his legacy stretch across a decade is just extremely a blessing, and I want to fit that mold. I learned a lot from him actually. I watch a lot of his tape, and I listen to the things he says in his pressers, how he carries himself, how he takes care of his body. … His strength is a big part of his game, so getting strong is going to help you do anything on the football field.”