FRISCO, Texas — One of the most feared stats in the NFL is the dreaded 0-2 hole to begin a season, seeing as it drops the odds of a team making the playoffs by quite a bit. So when the New York Giants walk onto the field at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys fully understand the assignment is to not suffer back-to-back losses, and to two division foes, no less.
But while the 24-20 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles stings, there were positives to take away from the opener, including the play of both Tyler Guyton and Tyler Booker — two first-round picks only one year apart who now help form the new-look offensive line in Dallas.
Both acquitted themselves very well in Philly, and their physicality was on full display.
"You wanna play as close to the edge as you can without going over it," said Guyton. "Playing physical can mean anything and it has a lot of different definitions and different things in the ways that you play — run plays, pass plays, your hands and the way you're finishing a block.
"There's so many ways to be physical."
Booker couldn't agree more.
"We wanna be known as one of the most physical teams in the NFL," he added. "That only happens with us practicing as hard as we do and coming in with the intention of being the most physical team. That's a part of our identity. That's what we wanna be known as.
"I feel like we played very physical [vs. Eagles] and just have to build upon it [vs. Giants]."
In breaking down film on Booker, his ability to be a mauler was evident and gives a tremendous glimpse at what he could become for the Cowboys going forward, though he isn't exactly patting himself on the back after just one game played at the NFL level.
"I'm not gonna tell you it was one of the worst games I've played, but for where I wanna be and for who I wanna be, I have to play a lot better than I did on Thursday," said Booker.
For context, however, the rookie allowed zero sacks on All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott and only two pressures in 34 dropbacks, numbers comparable to that of All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith. It's the attitude of good enough not being good enough that is quickly ingratiating Booker into the locker room and the culture being built by head coach Brian Schottenheimer, and Guyton is making sure Booker feels the love.
"Tyler Booker is a pro, man," he said of the former two-time First-team All-SEC lineman. "He's a great young player. That's why he was picked so high and why he's so respected in the football world. We're in super different spots compared to our first games, so I have a lot of respect for him. He's a special player."
One thing Booker is clear on is that he's already craving more work.
"It was very exciting," he said of his NFL debut for the Cowboys. "I don't think I could've asked for a better environment for my first game. Playing in the SEC and some of the most raucous environments in sports, and getting that same environment playing at the Eagles' stadium, and they just won a Super Bowl, I love playing in competitive environments like that.'
No stranger to such hostilities is Guyton, a standout at Oklahoma turned first-round pick of the Cowboys in 2024 that has an entire season under his belt now and, as such, knows what is expected of him in 2025 and beyond.
His most recent training camp was derailed by a bone fracture in his knee, but it didn't slow his return to action in Week 1. Guyton allowed zero sacks as well, and his five pressures, put into context, came attached to a team-high time to pressure mark of 3.08 seconds — besting even Tyler Smith in that category — despite being on an island 82.4 percent of the time.
The strides he is making, along with the violence he's deploying in his blocks, strikes a very real chord of confidence for Schottenheimer as the second-year tackle, now one year removed from his transition to that side of the offensive line, looks locked and loaded with the assistance of offensive coordinator Klayton Adams (a former offensive line coach) and heralded collegiate offensive line coach Conor Riley.
But while this is all true, it's also true that the 0-2 hole must be avoided on Sunday.
"[We need to] set the tone and get the ball rolling early," Guyton said of their coming battle against a Giants' front that, like the Eagles', can also impact games in a major way. "We get an early win like that and it sets us up for the next one, and then we roll into the weeks after that with the wind under our belt, knowing how to win and winning for our team this year. Getting that first win is important, especially against a division rival.
"They have special players, but we also have special players on our offensive line, so it's gonna be a battle in the trenches and we're gonna go compete."
As a whole, the Cowboys' offensive line, including Terence Steele, Cooper Beebe and the aforementioned Tyler Smith, didn't simply hold their own against the Eagles, but they were also moving bodies in the run game for Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders.
Now comes the next big test in the trenches, and a continued bright light on Guyton and Booker, though they look ready and eager for the challenge.
That challenge is to make Big Blue look small in Arlington.
