Cowboys’ Tyler Guyton’s unintentional hit on Eagles’ Jalyx Hunt causes stir but no penalty.
PHILADELPHIA — By now, Cowboys fans have probably seen it. More than once.
During Thursday’s season opener in Philadelphia, Cowboys left tackle Tyler Guyton unloaded a left hook to the face of Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt.
A powerful, open-hand smack that did not incur a flag or an ejection — but it did go viral on social media.
“We saw [the clip] after the game,” said Cowboys center Cooper Beebe. “Next thing you know, it’s all over Twitter… It looks a lot worse than what he was trying.”
While Eagles fans were furious there was no penalty, Guyton’s teammates supported the physicality.
“I love that, man,” said Cowboys defensive lineman Kenny Clark. “That’s the name of the game. I’m bleeding right now from practice. It’s football… Offensive linemen get hit every play, so to see them hit somebody, it’s cool.”
Guyton’s shot looked fit for a boxer. Fittingly, the second-year pro does boxing workouts in the offseason. He claims the hit, however, was unintentional.
“All I was trying to do was replace my hands, and they just hit in the wrong spot,” Guyton explained. “It was an open hand. I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody. It looks pretty bad.”
Whether the league buys that explanation or not is another story.
“It’ll be interesting to see if he gets an envelope in his locker or not,” joked Beebe.
That “envelope” would be a fine notice from the NFL, which is typically handed out to players on Wednesdays. If Guyton is fined for the hit, I’m told a particular Cowboys player has already told Guyton that he’ll pay for it.
Off the field, the Cowboys are intent on building a tight-knit culture.
On the field, they’re trying to establish themselves as a force to reckon with.
“We wanna be known as one of the most physical teams in the NFL,” asserted Cowboys rookie guard Tyler Booker. “In order to be seen as one of the most physical teams, we have to play like it. I feel like we played very physical on Thursday. We just have to build upon it this Sunday.”