Dallas Cowboys: Is it Time to Rebuild the Offensive Line?

I would not be opposed to drafting an OT as high as the first round, kick Collins back inside and relegate Williams to a backup role/swing tackle.

That way you have insurance for Tyron, maximize Collins, and get value out of Williams as the swing tackle/quality backup. This line is the engine of this offense.
 
Bleu Star said:
by Scott Sauer 2 days ago Follow @realScottSauer

Turn back the clock five years, the Dallas Cowboys are coming off their third consecutive 8-8 season and after losing their third consecutive winner-take-all Week 17 game. Approaching the 2014 draft, the hype is surrounding Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

Jerry Jones wishes for him to be the heir to Tony Romo. Dallas’ selection eventually comes around and with the 16th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Cowboys select Zack Martin. For the first time, Jerry Jones doesn’t get what he wants, but what he needs.

This selection marks the beginning of a new era in Dallas. The focus has turned to building the offensive line to protect Romo from injury as he got older and to take the pressure off of him by running the ball.

The strategy worked as the Cowboys rode their new Great Wall of Dallas to the Divisional round of the playoffs twice in the past 4 years. Tony Romo and Dak Prescott have had all the time in the world to drop back in the pocket and look for an open receiver.

This offensive line led the way as DeMarco Murray led the league in rushing in 2014 and Ezekiel Elliott in 2016. In both 2014 and 2016, Dallas finished second in the league in rushing yards per game with 147.1 and 149.8 respectively.

Now back here in 2018, the vaunted Great Wall of Dallas is beginning to crumble. Injuries and age are starting to take their toll. Just about each part of the offensive line has a problem it’s dealing with. The Cowboys spend more of their money on the Offensive Line than any other team in the NFL.

Highlight: Injuries have plagued Tyron Smith for the past couple of seasons.

Highlight: The absence of Travis Frederick is evident.

Highlight: There has been a lack of stability at Left Guard and Right Tackle.

Follow the link for the rest.
https://sportdfw.com/2018/09/22/dallas-cowboys-rebuild-offensive-line/
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Rebuild? why.....zak just signed a contract. Collins will get his. Williams is a rookie. Fred probably comes back...the only issue is Tyron and his health and its time to invest for a legit back up with opportunity to take over....

issue is not the OL, its Dak...geezzzzz
 
CowboysFaninHouston said:
Rebuild? why.....zak just signed a contract. Collins will get his. Williams is a rookie. Fred probably comes back...the only issue is Tyron and his health and its time to invest for a legit back up with opportunity to take over....

issue is not the OL, its Dak...geezzzzz
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Oh OKKKKKKKKKKK
 
CATCH17 said:
This forum has done an awful job evaluating the Oline so far.

We've been told Connor Williams is horrible and can't play but watching the All 22 from the first 2 weeks he's made about 4 bad plays and the rest of the time he's done his job.

Tyron has looked really bad at times the first 2 weeks but none of it was from a physical standpoint.


I'll watch week 3 when I get a chance but Cowboyszone has done more speculating on the Oline then looking at whats actually going on.
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What's going on is that defenses are having meet and greets in our backfield on almost every play. I'm not sure how that is possible if every player on the OL is doing a wonderful job as you suggest. Moreover it is almost immediately after the ball is snapped.
 
Nah, not yet, not even close. That Frederick illness was just an unfortunate situation, and now we see how much exactly he meant for this O-Line.

Collins hasn't look good this year, but he has shown enough that I'm willing to give him more time. He's certainly no Ereck Flowers!

Same with Tyron. I'm a bit worried he's breaking down as most people are, but I'm willing to give it time. Maybe when the rookie next to him progresses, we'll see Tyron return back to form (or close).

The Hawks clearly knew the offense's cadences, and it allowed Frank Clark (and others) to feast on the tackles. As a combo, that was the worst I've seen of Smith & Collins that I can recall.

Speaking of Williams, man does he look like a kid compared to the rest of the O-Line. Kid definitely has to hit the weight room in the offseason. I am plenty optimistic though that he's going to progress well this season and next.
 
Need a new Oline coach who actually knows how to prepare in practice and teach this talent of an Oline how to better block.

That's the problem.
 
Long term (past this season)...Hope Fredrick will return. Martin stays at right guard. Put William's at one of the tackles (depending on Tyron health). Hope to hit on guard in middle rounds of the draft.
 
Bleu Star said:
Newsflash. QBs tend to hold the ball after it's hiked to find a target. Then they throw it.
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It's comical how some posters are harping on Dak holding the football. The defenders are in the backfield about the same time he is getting the snap. Maybe he should throw the ball before it is hiked to him. The opposing team would not be expecting that!
 
CPanther95 said:
I'd they had the ability to develop talent from the later rounds, they wouldn't have had to spend so many high round picks on the OL over the past 7 years and still have almost no depth on the OL.
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Pat McQuistan says hello.
 
Bleu Star said:
Hey. I respect yours and the opinions of everyone else that feels the need to zero in on the QB. I choose take a more expanded view and evaluate the numbers of factors around said QB. So, right now, that swap between Wiliams and Collins will indeed improve our Oline.

Connor moves to his more natural position and the one he will most likely play for a long time in the NFL and La'el ensures the bull rushes from the QB's blind side no longer happen.
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I've been on that train since day 1. Collins is not a good RT. He is a much better guard.
 
Diehardblues said:
No, just tweak it. And wait and see if Frederick returns.

OL can’t be that bad with leading rusher in league. Bigger issue at QB.
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Maybe Zeke is getting all those yards because all of the defenders are in the backfield dog piling Dak.
 
We should get a new QB, that should solve most of the problems, not all but most.
 
Verdict said:
False. We need to fix the OL and see if Dak can still play. If not then you get your wish. Clean your plate. You don't get any pudding if you don't eat all your meat first.
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Nope, you are wrong.
Are they the same as in 2016? No, but they still have 2 probowlers on that line, not many teams if any can say that.
It's flat out wrong to fault the oline for this incompetent passing game. If they are such a bad oline why is Zeke the leading rusher in the NFL, common man.



 
ClappingCarrot said:
I'm good with drafting a quality tackle next season, but I'm done chasing these guys in the first round. There are too many other needs on this team that are far more egregious.

To be fair, none of us could have anticipated the Travis Frederick situation. It really screwed the pooch.
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Travis Frederick is not the only problem. Do you even watch the games?
 
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