Picture a locker room buzzing with electric energy. A simple piece of tape from the cleats turns into a high-stakes challenge. It’s not just about football in Dallas. For the Cowboys, it’s all about bringing their A-game to every single thing they do. And for rookie OL Tyler Booker, expectations are high from NFL legends to match up to the greats in Dallas, even before the preseason begins.
Standing tall and heavy at 6-foot-4 and 321 pounds, Booker is a beast with a reputation for competition on the line. Back at Alabama, he was a two-year starter for the Crimson Tide. The 2x First-Team All SEC and one-time All-American is infamous for punishing run blocks and solid pass protection. But most of all, he’s all about legacy. Last year, he had proudly noted he was all-in for Alabama as he said, “I’m big on family and I’m big on legacy, and what I’ve accomplished so far, what we’ve accomplished so far.” And coming to Dallas as their first-round pick, he has already impressed former Dallas WR Jesse Holley. But if you impress a legend right out of the draft, you’ll have higher stakes riding on you than the rest of the locker room. And that’s exactly what’s happening with Booker now.
On the DLLS Cowboys Podcast, Holley discussed Tyler Booker at length with Clarence Hill and Jeff Cavanaugh. Holley knows what it takes to compete at the highest level. For him, competition isn’t just a game-day thing – it’s a lifestyle. During his time, he “wanted to win at everything.” As Holley put it, “the greats are like that, and they want to win at everything. They want to win at bat gaming. They want to win at poker. They want to win that booray. They want to win at every single thing that there’s a level of competition.” And that’s exactly what he wants Booker to bring to Dallas. Holley further adds that competition should be a driving force for the team, with every man going all-out with something to prove. For Booker, the first chance to show this will come on August 5th in the joint open practice with the Rams.
Tyler Booker
Source- Instagram
Holley paints a vivid picture of the kind of heat Booker needs to bring on the field. Filling the shoes of the legendary Zack Martin at right guard is already a big deal. Holley believes the scenarios of Booker vs. Rams linebacker Jared Verse have to go along the same lines as Martin vs. Aaron Donald did up until two seasons ago. As Holley puts it plainly, “When Jared Verse lines up over top of you. If he happens to swing that way, there needs to go back to be that Zack Martin Aaron Donald level of battle. You want to impress me, Tyler Booker?” Clarence Hill chimed in on Holley’s comment with a laugh and a challenge, “Yeah. Come inside. Come inside, big fela. I know you’re edge. Come inside.” The message is clear. Booker has to be the warrior who sets the tone for Dallas.
Booker is notably making a switch from the left guard spot to the right guard. Just a few days after the joint practice, Booker will get a proper chance to showcase his drive. The first preseason road game against the Rams on 9th August already looks like a battlefield. And if his words long before the draft are any indication, he’s already ready. Back in March, Booker had notably said, “What you see on play one is what you’re going to see on play eight. I’m always trying to finish, I’m always trying to put you on your back.” Even now, just weeks away from training camp, Booker is channeling that same fire, with a little bit of regret, too.
Tyler Booker’s bold claim for the 2025 season
Through his three-year stint with the Crimson Tide, Booker has been nothing short of explosive. But across the three years, the team failed to win a championship title. In Booker’s tenure, Alabama amassed a 32-8 record. The Crimson Tide reached the playoffs back in ‘23 but lost to Michigan. Even last season, history repeated itself against Michigan. Those losses have ignited a fire under Booker that he’s gunning to translate in Dallas now.
In a recent interview, Booker talked about his college football journey and made a bold claim that came as a wave of fresh air in Dallas. As Booker noted, “I love to win, and I hate to lose. I lost too much this past year. I lost a lot more than I should have in college, me being at Alabama.” Booker further added, “I left without a national championship and that’s something that is going to burn at me for the rest of my life. So I’m going to bring that burn and passion and desire with me to the NFL and transfer that over to wanting to win Super Bowls.” The Cowboys haven’t seen a Super Bowl in decades, and Booker’s competitive spirit is exactly what Dallas needs. He’s pumped for the training camps to get and climb up the learning curve of the league in pads.
Under new HC Brian Schottenheimer, the offense already shows signs of explosiveness. Booker joins a young and revitalized OL core right beside Tyler Smith and Tyler Guyton. Together, the Tyler trio will fight to define the foundation of a new era in the Dallas trenches. Booker has to own up to the legacy Zack Martin has left behind and carve out his own legacy. But if his drive is any sign, he’s ready to battle, lead, and win. For Dallas, that’s exactly what they’ve been waiting for.
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