Dallas' Tyler Booker sat out the Cowboys' preseason opener against the Rams, while Nate Thomas played 10 snaps in his first game since arriving to guard left tackle duties. The pair's limited work came amid a first half dominated by short drives and a heavy emphasis on workload management from the staff. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer framed snap counts as a moving target with no magic number, and offensive line coach Klayton Adams stressed workload per week as the guiding principle. Thomas is the current projection to start at left tackle versus Philadelphia, a role Booker must prove he can handle with live reps, especially with Tyler Guyton out due to injury.

Dallas plans two padded practices before facing Baltimore, then another tune-up against Atlanta, before Week 1. Injuries across the line left veteran depth to absorb heavy snaps (66 for T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman), opening questions about interior continuity and how quickly Booker and Thomas can develop together. The narrative nods to Ezekiel Elliott and CeeDee Lamb as veteran benchmarks amid a youth-infused offensive line, underscoring the Cowboys’ desire to balance immediate readiness with long-term development as they prepare for a trip to defend their title-caliber offense against Philadelphia in early September.