Guyton Gets the Job; The Defense Keeps Losing Bodies

The left tackle competition is over. The Cowboys ended it early and gave Tyler Guyton the starting job, which is about as clean a resolution as this camp has produced. Guyton is active and healthy, the decision is made, and at least one roster question has a definitive answer heading into the season.

The rest of camp has not been so tidy. As I noted earlier this week, Alijah Clark was helped off the field Tuesday in Oxnard, and Princeton Fant remains questionable after being carted off during Monday's session. Matt Hennessy is already on injured reserve. That's three names on the offensive line depth chart with question marks around them, which matters more now that Guyton's promotion leaves the backup spots thinner than they were before.

The defensive picture is where the real pressure is building. Charles Snowden's three-game suspension removes a pass rusher before a single regular-season snap is played. The linebacker depth was already the most concerning position on the roster coming into camp — Rashan Gary is the only linebacker who logged meaningful snaps last season, and DeMarvion Overshown is being asked to step into a much larger role behind him. The secondary is absorbing Clark's injury on top of the safety depth concerns that have been present all offseason.

The Cowboys have enough offensive talent to stay in games — they showed that last year before the bottom fell out in December. But the defense needs bodies that can actually play, and right now camp is subtracting them faster than the front office is adding them.