Assessing Cowboys' OL reveals questions on edge, excess depth inside

USA Today

4 hours ago

The Dallas Cowboys have put more capital into the offensive line than any other position on the team. They have three first-round picks, another top-75 selection, and have paid another starter a significant contract. They added three depth pieces through free agency, all of whom have starting experience.
The interior of the OL is set. Tyler Smith is an All-Pro left guard, Tyler Booker was drafted at No. 12 overall to start at RG, and Cooper Beebe played well transitioning to center as a rookie. These three are locks to start the season at their positions, provided they remain healthy. The offensive tackles are virtually guaranteed to make the 53-man roster and start the season as starters, but everything beyond that is uncertain.
Tyler Guyton was a developmental first-round pick last year who struggled enough that his spot isn't guaranteed for the entire season. His underwhelming rookie campaign was summed up with Pro Football Focus grades (PFF) of 49.4 overall and 51.3 as a run blocker. He gave up six sacks and was called for 18 penalties in 668 snaps. If that doesn't improve significantly, the team would have no choice but to bench him as they did multiple times in 2024.
Terence Steele has had one season where he played like he is currently paid. He is a hard worker who had an injury setback and didn't work well with the previous offensive line coach, but at his best, he has only been an average player. He can run block well, especially working with a good guard next to him. Adding a monster like Booker should make them an excellent run-blocking combo, but what can Steele do as a pass protector? Steele has never had a PFF pass blocking grade above 64, and last season, he was graded worse than Guyton as a pass protector.
He allowed nine sacks and was called for seven penalties. Quarterback Dak Prescott can survive one questionable tackle, but if both players are liabilities, then the offense drops from its typical top-10 production under Prescott, as it did in 2024 before his injury.
Asim Richards is the backup at left tackle, and has been a solid performer in his two seasons in Dallas, with grades all above 60 playing guard as a rookie, before transitioning to left tackle last year. He improved as a pass blocker with a PFF grade just under 70 in 2024. In 181 snaps, he allowed only a single sack and was called for only one penalty. His run blocking as a tackle dipped 20 points, but maybe with an offseason to adjust to being a full-time OT, his run blocking will improve. The backup right tackle is wide open unless Richards is going to be the swing, but Dallas brought in a bunch of options to battle for the spot.
Matt Waletzko hasn't shown an ability to stay healthy and can't be counted on, so he is unlikely to make the team. Saahdiq Charles and Hakeem Adeniji have both started in the league. Adeniji has 15 starts for the Cincinnati Bengals and started in the Super Bowl for them, but he hasn't been a significant contributor since 2021. Charles has started 15 games with the Washington Commanders, but he didn't play in 2024 and wasn't very good in his 10 starts in 2023. He didn't have a PFF grade over 56.
Nate Thomas was thought to have been drafted to be a guard, but has played mostly left tackle in OTAs. Until training camp begins and he takes the field, it's unknown where he will play. The other option is rookie sixth-round pick Ajani Cornelius. Cornelius played in nearly 3,300 snaps over his final four seasons with Rhode Island and Oregon. He was a second-team All-American in 2024, having played almost 1,000 snaps, and had PFF grades above 72 in overall, pass blocking, and run blocking. He is the only option as backup RT who should be written in pen for the 53-man roster because this administration drafted him & he is the only guy with more than a season of control and working at right tackle.
If Dallas doesn't go long at offensive line, they could lose a quality interior option. Brock Hoffman is a lock as the backup center. He has started and played well at every interior spot. That likely eliminates Dakoda Shepley because he brings a redundancy with Hoffman that the other interior options don't. The team signed Rob Jones, who played over 1,000 snaps at left guard for the Dolphins last season. He fits what the new offensive coaches are looking for as a big man who is challenging to move. At 6-foot-4, 334 pounds and only 26 years old, Klayton Adams and Conor Riley will look to mold him into something more than he has been so far. His PFF grades last season were all between 54 and 57, so if he can't improve, he could miss the 53-man roster. T.J. Bass is the man he will be battling for a roster spot if the Cowboys can't keep both. Bass has started five games and played nearly 700 snaps in his first two seasons in Dallas. He only had a single penalty each season, and his PFF run block grade went from 54.2 as a rookie to 70.5 in 2024. That is a big jump, and like Jones, he is 26 years old and 6-foot-4, 325 pounds.
How many of these players will Dallas keep? Typically, at least eight and as many as 10 spots go to the OL. That would give them Guyton, Smith, Beebe, Booker, Steele, Richards, Hoffman, and Cornelius as their five starters and three backups. Bass, Jones, Adeniji, Thomas, and Charles would battle for the remaining spots in that unit.
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or Bluesky @mike-crum-cdpiglet.bsky.social