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Did the Cowboys improve the offensive tackle depth chart?
Continuing our series in looking into possible places of improvement for the Dallas Cowboys, we now take a look at the offensive tackles.
2014: Tyron Smith, Doug Free, Jermey Parnell, Darrion Weems
2015: Tyron Smith, Doug Free, Darrion Weems, Chaz Green, Laurence Gibson
Jermey Parnell departed via free agency to sign a $30+ million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his career in Dallas, he had some highs and lows, but probably fit his position of swing tackle better than anyone anticipated. When the Cowboys called his number after Doug Free's foot injury, he answered the bell down the stretch.
LT1-Tyron Smith
One of the premier left tackles in the league and perhaps the best at his position. It's no wonder that the Cowboys locked him into a monumental eight-year deal worth up to $110 million. The best part in all of this is that Smith is still only 24 years young. The Cowboys have built their offensive line into the envy of the league and it all started in 2011 with the selection of Smith. I've heard many-a-time Bryan Broaddus say when Smith gets his hands on a defender, they are done. He's a fantastic point-of-attack blocker and has the footwork and technique to match. It's also a marvel to watch him in run-blocking where he seems to effortlessly glide to the second-level. A superb athlete and cornerstone for this offensive line, Smith will be leading it into a very bright future.
LT2- Darrion Weems
Listening to our boys Rabble and McCool's podcast, they put forth some interesting knowledge. Weems has been mostly an afterthoguht. However, he's been really catching on this offseason and he actually has a good pedigree for the position. He was undrafted in 2012 and has spent most of his time on various practice squads. It seems finally like Weems is starting to show some understanding of his teachings over his time in Dallas. At one point, some coaches felt that Weems was ready to battle it out with Parnell for the swing job. Unfortunately for Weems, he ended up on the injured reserve list. If he can stay healthy this season and continue to progress, don't be surprised if he tries to compete with Free.
LT3- Laurence Gibson
Still somewhat of a project due to his stiff lower half, but he translates well as a zone blocking tackle. What the Cowboys like about Gibson is that he's constantly putting what he learned to work. In college, he seemed to always improve and he's a very intelligent player. He is a bit more polished in the running game according to scouts. He was also a top performer in almost every combine measurement per NFL.com. Gibson is rated 10th in SPARQ score and was in the 90.2 percentile. The Cowboys have another solid athlete to add to the rotation, we'll see if he can convert that to a roster spot. If so, Dallas would have a potential seventh-round steal.
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