Controversial rookie outranks volatile FA as Cowboys most important 2025 addition

USA Today

3 hours ago

Controversial rookie outranks volatile FA as Cowboys most important 2025 addition With flashy additions stealing the headlines, it's the rookie guard from Alabama who could quietly reshape the Cowboys' offense from the inside out.
Amid the usual roller coaster of a Dallas Cowboys' offseason, which included a splashy receiver acquisition as well as a rare but busy free agency, one of their most meaningful moves this past spring came during the heart of roster building, the 2025 NFL draft.
CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin named rookie guard Tyler Booker the Cowboys' best move of the 2025 offseason; it wasn't a flashy headline-grabber but it was a nod to the kind of decision that can help win games in December.
George Pickens is a signature Jerry Jones splash, and he may well take the Cowboys' passing attack to new heights opposite CeeDee Lamb. Whereas he's more of a volatile swing, however, Booker feels like the kind of smart but unsexy investment that could really keep Dak Prescott upright. If he holds up as a Day 1 guard, Brian Schottenheimer might have this team back in the playoff mix.
Booker, the former Alabama standout, isn't the type of player who moves jerseys or headlines. But what he might move, and move well, is the pocket. And for a quarterback like Dak Prescott, returning from a season-ending injury and entering a pivotal year under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, that might be everything.
That's the bet Dallas is making: that a dependable, sturdy, NFL-ready guard will solidify an offensive line that continues to add more youth and power on the interior. For all the talk of Prescott's inconsistency, much of it stemmed from protection breakdowns and limited support between the tackles. Booker, a First-Team All-American in 2024, brings polish and physicality that should plug into the Cowboys' line from Day 1.
The Cowboys didn't just need a spark; they needed a stabilizer. Booker could be just that. If he helps protect Prescott, opens lanes for a ground game that finished 27th last season, and gives Schottenheimer more time to get creative, it won't matter if he's not the name on the back of every fan's jersey.
In a year where Dallas is trying to shed disappointment and reclaim relevance in the NFC, sometimes it's not the loudest move that matters most. Sometimes it's the one that gets you through the trenches, literally.
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