FRISCO, Texas -- In the final three games of the 2025 season, the Cowboys started All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith at left tackle. He replaced Nate Thomas, who had filled in the previous three weeks after Tyler Guyton suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 12 against the Eagles.

During those final three weeks, Smith made it clear he wanted to have a conversation with head coach Brian Schottenheimer on what the long-term plan was for Smith, who has said he's more comfortable at guard. The Cowboys also prefer Smith at guard, and it appears he is satisfied with the explanation he's received about his future outlook.

"We had great conversations about it," Smith said at the team's charity home run derby last Thursday. "I have an understanding of what it is. That's the most I can ask for is to just have that understanding early on. Obviously, I've got the utmost faith that we're going to go out there and we're going to do what we're going to do. Ultimately, I'll be in the position I need to be in. I'm good with where we're at."

Based on what history has shown us and everything Smith and the Cowboys have said, the likely scenario will be that the Cowboys play Smith at left guard and only move him to left tackle if it is necessary.

The left tackle position is one that's struggled to find consistency over the last two seasons with Guyton, who has dealt with multiple injuries. In the last two seasons, Smith has played 295 snaps at left tackle in fill-in duty. In Smith's rookie season, he took 977 snaps at left tackle before not taking a single snap at the position in 2023.

Should Guyton be able to remain on the field in 2026, it's likely that Smith's snap count would look similar to his second NFL season where 100% of his snaps came at left guard, leading to his first Pro Bowl nod.

Speaking of remaining on the field, the Cowboys are set to be the fourth-most traveled team in the NFL in 2026 with 27,980 miles projected to be scaled as Dallas makes a pair of trips to the west coast and Rio de Janeiro. With that kind of travel workload, Smith understands the increased importance of ensuring physical wellbeing.

"I think the biggest thing is taking care of your body, especially when you know you're going to be traveling long distances, long flights," Smith said. "Schotty has a great plan for us vets. I get a bigger seat, I'm graduated, so I'm extremely happy with those developments. And then the plane ride is nothing to me, I'm sleep most of the way."

Up in first class with Smith is Dak Prescott, who is heading into year 11 with the Cowboys. This offseason, Prescott said he's gotten off to a faster start to his offseason as he was healthy, compared to a hamstring injury hindering his beginning to the offseason following the 2024 season. For Smith, he sees Prescott's approach to each offseason as a model of steadiness.

"It's great to see it because he's just so consistent," Smith said of Prescott. "I feel like he's attacked every offseason the same way healthy or not. Especially seeing him come off the hamstring [injury] the year before, just how he attacked his rehab day in and day out and how he was consistently always pushing himself to be elite. It's great to see and it's something that he's continued to do."

Both Prescott and Smith have more than graduated to earning their first-class seats on Cowboys' chartered flights to games. It's still early, but incoming second-year guard Tyler Booker may be getting some extra legroom soon as he looks to build on a strong start from his rookie season, where he started 14 games opposite of Smith at right guard.

"I think the sky is the limit," Smith said of Booker. "He approaches every day the right way, he's a guy that's constantly trying to get better, constantly asking questions. We're on the phone all the time… I think the sky is the limit in his second year, and he's starting from a great launch point in his rookie year for sure."