THE COLONY, Texas — It’s one thing for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott to claim he’s “healthy as I’ll be” following the torn hamstring injury he suffered in Week 9 last season. 

It’s another for a teammate to confirm the soon-to-be 32-year-old quarterback’s status, something Cowboys Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith did Thursday.

“I’ve seen the same guy since I got there, just committed to excellence and committed to being the best version of himself and a leader that leads us into battle,” Smith said. “I think he’s recovered really great. He’s in excellent shape, and I’m excited to have him back. I’m excited to have that dawg back in the backfield.”

Right guard Tyler Booker, Dallas’ 2025 first-round pick, hasn’t played in a game with Prescott yet, but he’s already convinced he’s the best leader of any of the quarterbacks he played with in high school and at the Alabama. 

“How great of a leader he is,” Booker said. “I feel like that’s a requirement with the position of quarterback, but he stands out from the other quarterbacks that I’ve played with or against by the way he just commands the room. You know when a quarterback walks into a room, and Dak definitely embodies that. … It’s just the way he talks and just his presence … and his conviction when he talks. I’m very excited to protect him this year.”

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The group set to protect Prescott along the offensive line in 2025 includes three first-round picks — Smith (a two-time Pro Bowler), Booker and 2024 first-round pick left tackle Tyler Guyton — along with Cooper Beebe (who is entering his second season as Dallas’ starting center) and veteran right tackle Terence Steele. Dallas also signed Robert Jones, who started all 17 games at left guard for the Miami Dolphins in 2024, to a one-year deal this offseason as a depth piece, as well as guard/center Brock Hoffman (nine starts, seven last season), guard T.J. Bass (four starts) and swing tackle Asim Richards.

That’s why NFL offensive line guru Duke Manyweather is as high on Dallas’ offensive line room as he’s been in years. Manyweather has been training Cowboys offensive linemen for about a decade dating back to perennial All-Pro Zack Martin’s early years, and he’s trained all five projected Dallas starters this offseason. Both Smith and Booker were in attendance at Manyweather’s OL Masterminds summit on Thursday at Cosm Dallas.

“What they did this offseason, not just the draft, but who they have signed as free agents and who they have coming back, this is the deepest and most talent-rich, in terms of quality depth, that I’ve seen the Cowboys have in a long time in the offensive line room,” Manyweather said. 

That’s a bold statement, especially given the departures of Martin (retired in 2025), eight-time Pro left tackle Tyron Smith (left for the New York Jets in 2024 before retiring with Dallas in 2025) and Pro Bowl center Tyler Biadasz (left for the Washington Commanders in 2024). But it’s the combination of the aforementioned depth, plus the youthful interior players, that sets this unit apart.

“You gain a Tyler Guyton. You have a more mature Tyler Smith. You have Cooper Beebe who is coming into his own, and then you draft a Tyler Booker, who in my opinion brings a lot of the same traits and characteristics as Tyler Smith,” Manyweather said. “I expect those three interior guys to be as about as physical as they come and really push the point. It’s worth noting I think Terence Steele had a really great offseason this year. He looked like, to me, he had his spring back a few years removed from the horrific knee injury that he had. I’m expecting him to take another leap.”

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Aiding the offensive line’s development is the cohesion between Manyweather and new Cowboys offensive line coach Conor Riley and assistant offensive coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr. The two sides met in mid-June to make sure what Manyweather was honing in on with the Cowboys offensive line during the offseason break was exactly what Riley introduced in the spring offseason program. 

“It gives me more confidence in everybody that I’m around that they’re on the same page now,” Booker said. “I know that what I’m learning from Duke is what Coach Riley and Coach Chin are teaching me. … For them [Manyweather and the Cowboys] to have a relationship is super important, and it’s only going to keep my development going in the right direction.”

That connection between Manyweather and Dallas’ offensive line coaches wasn’t always as strong as it is with Riley. Manyweather and former Cowboys offensive line coach Mike Solari had differing outlooks on what to address with Beebe and Steele in 2024.  

“They [Riley and Chinyoung] see him as a resource. They just wanted to see what they can tweak and add to our toolbox to make us better. That’s huge for us and the direction we’re trending,” Smith said. “They’ve [Riley and Chinyoung] taken a step by coming to the [Manyweather] seminars and taking notes.”