Why not? They played last year & played well. They have played well this year.
Every time (at least that I remember) they have been in the lineup, the offense has been better.
I have always liked Richards. I have no issue with all those guys competing for starting roles.
I'm not saying they are garbage, but I think if you really want to upgrade the OL you probably need to look for a RG that isnt on the roster right now, unless you're going to play around with the idea of moving a T inside. Both guys I really don't love their tape from a year ago, this year does show some progress for each player though.
Hoffman had some very nice tape on Thanksgiving, but I need to see a bigger sample size before I commit to him as a starter for 2025. You do have to commit to him too as he is a free agent after this season and should have multiple suitors to command at least low end starting OL money. That's my biggest hesitation there.
TJ Bass's tape to me looks like a high end backup player. He looked really good against lesser competition in Washington. Some will disagree with me, but I don't think he played very well against better interior DLs in Pittsburgh and Detroit...especially in pass protection. As a run player I think he has made significant strides, and I'm impressed with his ability to move laterally. I think that was the big knock on him coming out of college was how he would translate to the NFL as an athlete. In pass protection he seems to struggle to identify stunts, blitzes and also really struggles to recover if a defender gets hand placement on him.
I wont say I've thrown in the towel on either player yet, and I really hope the Cowboys give them as many snaps as possible the rest of the way so we can get an extended look before the offseason. I think there are so many factors working against these guys though. They seem to be making solid strides under this current coaching staff, but odds are we have a completely new offensive coaches for 2025 which can be the worst thing for younger developmental guys making progress who now have to learn a new system. You also have what are already major question marks at both Tackle spots in 2025 so its possible a new staff will push for a known asset on the interior. I hate to say this as it could easily turn this thread into something it was never meant for but I think Dak struggles with the OL presnap. I dont think Rush is better than Dak in many areas at all, but the one I do is that Rush does a much better job of getting the offense into the right play and alignment presnap which I think has had a positive impact on the OL and run game as a whole the last few weeks.
To me Richards is the guy who has really left me impressed all around this year, but to be fair he also has the smallest amount of tape of those three to break down as well. Overall I think this team needs to look for a known commodity in free agency this year to add to the OL unless Hoffman or Bass really end the season strong.
