FRISCO, Texas — Tyler Smith knew it when the Cowboys drafted him.
He was fortunate.
Beyond hometown proximity, which was no doubt special for the Fort Worth native, Smith appreciated his other geography luck: He joined an offensive line room where right guard Zack Martin and left tackle Tyron Smith were located.
The rookie began learning from those greats in May and June.
During this off-period before training camp, he learns still.
Smith spent several hours last weekend at OL Masterminds, a summit where offensive linemen — most of them active in the NFL but others retired or in college — congregated to share trade insights. There was no better place for a first-round talent focused on honing his technique.
Starting center Tyler Biadasz and backup center/guard Matt Farniok were among the other young Cowboys blockers attending the two-day seminar, held at Sports Academy at The Star. Dallas-based offensive line coach Duke Manyweather and Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson founded the series.
At this fifth-annual summit, Tyler Smith built on past player-to-player conversations with Martin and Tyron Smith. As one example, in the spring, he asked Martin how he avoids being fooled when a defender gives a head fake.
Martin told him he focuses on the defender’s armpit.
“That just helps focus and train my eyes,” Tyler Smith said Saturday. “Like Duke was saying [at OL Masterminds], your eyes are a huge part of blocking. Keeping everything in sync and coordinated is huge for me. Zack really helped me with that a lot. I’ll be focused with my eyes. And with Tyron, I was like, ‘How do you not underset or overset?’ He said, ‘Just get to your spot as fast as possible… and use your hands in conjunction with that.’
“That’s part of your art, trying to find what works for you. …Watching them, watching their tape, how they execute it has been really good for me. I’m in with them every day, so I’m always asking questions.”
Tyler Smith has practiced at left guard and left tackle this offseason. The Cowboys’ hope is for him to start Week 1 at left guard while becoming a short-term fill-in option and long-term successor at left tackle.
Smith stayed true to that plan, focusing on both positions at OL Masterminds.
He listened to Steve Hutchinson, a Pro Football Hall of Fame guard, discuss some of the finer points of the position. Smith stood in a crowd of other players doing the same. He then walked about 30 feet where Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Terron Armstead held court, discussing hand usage when blocking against an edge rusher’s long-arm technique.
“I’m trying to get as much info as I can,” Smith said.
That is the point of the offensive line summit.
Share knowledge. Grow the game.
What started as a 27-participant event in 2018 grew to 48, 85 and 175 in 2021. The expansion reached 215 participants this weekend, said organizer Brian Bradtke of B2 Enterprises. Most were NFL players. Some were in college. There were even some coaches, open to teaching the position differently.
Manyweather, Johnson, Armstead, Hutchinson, Willie Roaf, Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen, Olin Kreutz, Brian Baldinger, Willie Anderson and Mark Schlereth were among the qualified teachers.
“I think the biggest negative to a player’s evolution and his progression is being comfortable,” Armstead said to the crowd Friday. “You can never be comfortable and content in this business. Comfortable would probably be the most poisonous thing to your progress. So no matter what level you reach — Pro Bowl, All-Pro, world champion — you have to improve. You have to improve. You have to improve.
“Anytime you get comfortable or complacent, it’s time to retire. Or the game will make you retire.”
Smith knows better.
The former Tulsa tackle is a long way from complacent, understanding he has much to refine. That includes getting his hands and feet to function in better unison, an area in which he believes he has made important strides in recent months.
Smith could take it easy before the Cowboys travel to Oxnard, Calif. for training camp on July 25. Their official report date is July 26. The first practice is the next day.
Instead, in the days leading up to the weekend summit, he began receiving private instruction from Manyweather.
He didn’t need to receive that extra coaching. He sought it.
“I think that takes a lot of maturity,” Manyweather said. “Sometimes, guys wait until after their rookie year or wait until they hit rock bottom in certain situations. With that type of mentality and mindset from him, to come out and get better immediately, that tells you a lot about how he is going to go about his business of being a professional.”
There was some luck in the Cowboys drafting Smith in April.
He now creates his own.
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