CFZ Cowboys Rookie Offensive Linemen

[Jumbo075]

The Cowboys signed three rookie offensive linemen in the offseason: 5th round pick (169th overall) OT Asim Richards, Undrafted Free Agents OT Earl Bostick ($220K guaranteed) and OT T.J. Bass ($150K guaranteed. Bostick got the highest guarantee of any undrafted free agent the Cowboys signed, and Bass was tied with 4 other players who got the same guaranteed money. So the Cowboys think highly of both Bostick and Bass.

Bostick is going to compete with last year's 5th round pick, Matt Waletzko to become the 4th OT on the team, behind Smith, Smith and Steele. The plan is to start Tyler Smith at Left Guard, and both Richards and Bass will compete with recently signed veteran free agent, and former 3rd round pick of the Jets, Chuma Edoga, and 2021 7th round pick Matt Farniok for backing up the two guard and Center positions.

If Steele cannot start the season opener, or if Tyron or Steele gets injured, Tyler Smith will kick out to Tackle, and one of the backups will quickly become a starter.at Guard. The interesting thing about all the Cowboys projected interior linemen is that, other than Biadasz, they all played Offensive Tackle in College.

• RG Zach Martin (6'4", 315 lbs) - started 52 games at Left Tackle for Notre Dame
• RG Matt Farniok (6'5", 311 lbs) - started 14 games at Right Tackle, 9 games at Right Guard, and 1 game at Center for Nebraska
• RG T.J. Bass (6'4", 317 lbs) - started 6 games at Left Guard, and 21 games at Left Tackle for Oregon
• LG Tyler Smith (6'5", 320 lbs) - started 23 games at Left Tackler for Tulsa
• LG Chuma Edoga (6'3", 308 lbs) - started 26 games at Right Tackle, and 2 games at Left Tackle for USC
• LG Asim Richards (6'4", 309 lbs) - started 38 games at Left Tackle for North Carolina
• LG Josh Ball (6'6", 304 lbs) - stared 9 games at Left Tackle for Florida State, and 8 games at Left Tackle for Marshall

Obviously, Martin and Smith are the starters. But after that, do you really care which players win the primary backup jobs at Left and Right Tackle?

As for the rookie, Richards, Bass and Bostick, do you care about their draft status? I don't. If Bostick can beat out Waletzo for the swing tackle backup position, more power to him. And it doesn't matter to me if Bass beats out Richards. Once the players are here, I'm not too worrried about giving the draft picks a better chance than the undrafted players. The coaches should only be concerned about picking the best players. Former Draft picks like Ball, Waletzo and Edoga, and current 2023 draft pick Richards don't get any awards from me for being drafted, over players like Bass and Bostick, or last year's undrafted center Alec Lindstrom. Let the competition on the field decide who wins. I don't care about the Cowboys "reputation" for wasting draft picks. And I don't think anyone should care.

The Cowboys drafted WR Danny Coale the same year they signed undrafted WR Cole Beasley. Obviously keeping Beasley was the right choice. Cowboys starting Rigt Tackle Terence Steele went undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2020, but has developed into a better than average right tackle in the NFL. So, for me, looking at our rookie offensive linemen, I don't care about their draft status. I wish them all well, and hope we find a gem who can be a future started for the Cowboys - drafted or not.

 

[Bobhaze]

The Cowboys signed three rookie offensive linemen in the offseason: 5th round pick (169th overall) OT Asim Richards, Undrafted Free Agents OT Earl Bostick ($220K guaranteed) and OT T.J. Bass ($150K guaranteed. Bostick got the highest guarantee of any undrafted free agent the Cowboys signed, and Bass was tied with 4 other players who got the same guaranteed money. So the Cowboys think highly of both Bostick and Bass.

Bostick is going to compete with last year's 5th round pick, Matt Waletzko to become the 4th OT on the team, behind Smith, Smith and Steele. The plan is to start Tyler Smith at Left Guard, and both Richards and Bass will compete with recently signed veteran free agent, and former 3rd round pick of the Jets, Chuma Edoga, and 2021 7th round pick Matt Farniok for backing up the two guard and Center positions.

If Steele cannot start the season opener, or if Tyron or Steele gets injured, Tyler Smith will kick out to Tackle, and one of the backups will quickly become a starter.at Guard. The interesting thing about all the Cowboys projected interior linemen is that, other than Biadasz, they all played Offensive Tackle in College.

• RG Zach Martin (6'4", 315 lbs) - started 52 games at Left Tackle for Notre Dame
• RG Matt Farniok (6'5", 311 lbs) - started 14 games at Right Tackle, 9 games at Right Guard, and 1 game at Center for Nebraska
• RG T.J. Bass (6'4", 317 lbs) - started 6 games at Left Guard, and 21 games at Left Tackle for Oregon
• LG Tyler Smith (6'5", 320 lbs) - started 23 games at Left Tackler for Tulsa
• LG Chuma Edoga (6'3", 308 lbs) - started 26 games at Right Tackle, and 2 games at Left Tackle for USC
• LG Asim Richards (6'4", 309 lbs) - started 38 games at Left Tackle for North Carolina
• LG Josh Ball (6'6", 304 lbs) - stared 9 games at Left Tackle for Florida State, and 8 games at Left Tackle for Marshall

Obviously, Martin and Smith are the starters. But after that, do you really care which players win the primary backup jobs at Left and Right Tackle?

As for the rookie, Richards, Bass and Bostick, do you care about their draft status? I don't. If Bostick can beat out Waletzo for the swing tackle backup position, more power to him. And it doesn't matter to me if Bass beats out Richards. Once the players are here, I'm not too worrried about giving the draft picks a better chance than the undrafted players. The coaches should only be concerned about picking the best players. Former Draft picks like Ball, Waletzo and Edoga, and current 2023 draft pick Richards don't get any awards from me for being drafted, over players like Bass and Bostick, or last year's undrafted center Alec Lindstrom. Let the competition on the field decide who wins. I don't care about the Cowboys "reputation" for wasting draft picks. And I don't think anyone should care.

The Cowboys drafted WR Danny Coale the same year they signed undrafted WR Cole Beasley. Obviously keeping Beasley was the right choice. Cowboys starting Rigt Tackle Terence Steele went undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2020, but has developed into a better than average right tackle in the NFL. So, for me, looking at our rookie offensive linemen, I don't care about their draft status. I wish them all well, and hope we find a gem who can be a future started for the Cowboys - drafted or not.

Good stuff. I agree that draft status should not matter if an UDFA shows more ability and upside. Cowboys history is rich with UDFAs that turn into gems- Cornell Green, Cliff Harris, Drew Pearson, Everson Walls, Bill Bates, Mark Tuinei, Nate Newton, Tony Romo, Miles Austin, and lately Terance Steele. Thats quite the list.

It seems the Cowboys have lately put a premium on having an OL that very flexible at multiple positions which makes sense. With Tyron Smith on constant injury watch, having a group that can slide effectively into multiple positions will be very important. Unless he shows something more than he has so far, I would say Josh Ball is the one with most to prove at TC this summer.

 

[gimmesix]

Draft status should never matter unless it comes down to a couple of players being pretty much equal in ability. You keep the draft pick then because of the investment. Otherwise, it's all about the best players.

I like the young offensive line prospects. None of them may pan out, but it's an interesting group. I don't think they are just camp bodies. Of course, we won't know that until they get on the field, but it seems like we did a good job of identifying prospects. A few years ago, Terence Steele basically came out of nowhere to make the team, so who knows?

 

[gtb1943]

sad fact is that with the exception of Steele our low rd or UDFA Oline prospects have not panned out for many years.
Biadasz is a fourth rd. Everyone else is a first rd pick. and all our BEST OLINE PLAYERS are high rd picks.
Steele is an exception and should not be looked at any other way. While only a 4th rd pick Biadasz had a very notable college career ending with being the winner of the Rimmington Trophy.

So Richards might make it; but the rest? Just hope and that is all. No substance.

 

[CCBoy]

Other than Biadasz, they all played Offensive Tackle in College. hoooah!

 

[Cowboyny]

The Cowboys signed three rookie offensive linemen in the offseason: 5th round pick (169th overall) OT Asim Richards, Undrafted Free Agents OT Earl Bostick ($220K guaranteed) and OT T.J. Bass ($150K guaranteed. Bostick got the highest guarantee of any undrafted free agent the Cowboys signed, and Bass was tied with 4 other players who got the same guaranteed money. So the Cowboys think highly of both Bostick and Bass.

Bostick is going to compete with last year's 5th round pick, Matt Waletzko to become the 4th OT on the team, behind Smith, Smith and Steele. The plan is to start Tyler Smith at Left Guard, and both Richards and Bass will compete with recently signed veteran free agent, and former 3rd round pick of the Jets, Chuma Edoga, and 2021 7th round pick Matt Farniok for backing up the two guard and Center positions.

If Steele cannot start the season opener, or if Tyron or Steele gets injured, Tyler Smith will kick out to Tackle, and one of the backups will quickly become a starter.at Guard. The interesting thing about all the Cowboys projected interior linemen is that, other than Biadasz, they all played Offensive Tackle in College.

• RG Zach Martin (6'4", 315 lbs) - started 52 games at Left Tackle for Notre Dame
• RG Matt Farniok (6'5", 311 lbs) - started 14 games at Right Tackle, 9 games at Right Guard, and 1 game at Center for Nebraska
• RG T.J. Bass (6'4", 317 lbs) - started 6 games at Left Guard, and 21 games at Left Tackle for Oregon
• LG Tyler Smith (6'5", 320 lbs) - started 23 games at Left Tackler for Tulsa
• LG Chuma Edoga (6'3", 308 lbs) - started 26 games at Right Tackle, and 2 games at Left Tackle for USC
• LG Asim Richards (6'4", 309 lbs) - started 38 games at Left Tackle for North Carolina
• LG Josh Ball (6'6", 304 lbs) - stared 9 games at Left Tackle for Florida State, and 8 games at Left Tackle for Marshall

Obviously, Martin and Smith are the starters. But after that, do you really care which players win the primary backup jobs at Left and Right Tackle?

As for the rookie, Richards, Bass and Bostick, do you care about their draft status? I don't. If Bostick can beat out Waletzo for the swing tackle backup position, more power to him. And it doesn't matter to me if Bass beats out Richards. Once the players are here, I'm not too worrried about giving the draft picks a better chance than the undrafted players. The coaches should only be concerned about picking the best players. Former Draft picks like Ball, Waletzo and Edoga, and current 2023 draft pick Richards don't get any awards from me for being drafted, over players like Bass and Bostick, or last year's undrafted center Alec Lindstrom. Let the competition on the field decide who wins. I don't care about the Cowboys "reputation" for wasting draft picks. And I don't think anyone should care.

The Cowboys drafted WR Danny Coale the same year they signed undrafted WR Cole Beasley. Obviously keeping Beasley was the right choice. Cowboys starting Rigt Tackle Terence Steele went undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2020, but has developed into a better than average right tackle in the NFL. So, for me, looking at our rookie offensive linemen, I don't care about their draft status. I wish them all well, and hope we find a gem who can be a future started for the Cowboys - drafted or not.

The Cowboy Front Office always targets Tackles to kick inside and play Guard, they believe Tackles have better feet and are more athletic.

 

[Jumbo075]

sad fact is that with the exception of Steele our low rd or UDFA Oline prospects have not panned out for many years.
Biadasz is a fourth rd. Everyone else is a first rd pick. and all our BEST OLINE PLAYERS are high rd picks.
Steele is an exception and should not be looked at any other way. While only a 4th rd pick Biadasz had a very notable college career ending with being the winner of the Rimmington Trophy.

So Richards might make it; but the rest? Just hope and that is all. No substance.

La'el Collins was undrafted and a long-time starter at Right Tackle until last season. Doug Free was a 4th round pick that took 3 years into a starter in 2010, and remained a starter for several years. before La'el Collins took over at Right Tackle when he retired. Ron Leary was an undrafted player who was stellar at Left Guard.

At other positions, Cowboys 6th round pick in 2016 Anthony Brown was a starting CB for the Cowboys for several years before he blew his knee out last season. DaRon Bland has done quite well as a 5th round pick last year, and starting safety Donovan Wilson was a 6th round pick. Projected starting LB Damone Clark was a 5th round pick last season. Malik Davis was undrafted a year ago, and is favored by many to win the back up RB position behind starter Tony Pollard, who was a 4th round pick. Last year's starting WR Noah Brown was a 7th round pick in 2016, lasting far longer than many expected, and signing a multimillion contract with Houston this offseason.

It is true that late round offensive linemen haven't developed as well as hoped...yet. But there is still time for Ball and Waletzko, who both spent their rookie seasosns on IR, and thus got late starts on their careers. 3rd day picks, and undrafted players typically take more time to develop Donovan Wilson was seen by many as a JAG until his break out season in his 4th year - the same thing that happened to Doug Free 12 years previously. Former undrafted players like Mark Tunei took years to develop also. I think there is a lot of impatience on the part of fans. And it is true that many late round picks don't develop and are quickly forgotten. The odds are against players who aren't top 100 picks each year. But enough do develop to continue to make the effort.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

sad fact is that with the exception of Steele our low rd or UDFA Oline prospects have not panned out for many years.

What's the point here? How many teams hit on more than one or two of those guys a decade?

 

[CowboyRoy]

The Cowboys signed three rookie offensive linemen in the offseason: 5th round pick (169th overall) OT Asim Richards, Undrafted Free Agents OT Earl Bostick ($220K guaranteed) and OT T.J. Bass ($150K guaranteed. Bostick got the highest guarantee of any undrafted free agent the Cowboys signed, and Bass was tied with 4 other players who got the same guaranteed money. So the Cowboys think highly of both Bostick and Bass.

Bostick is going to compete with last year's 5th round pick, Matt Waletzko to become the 4th OT on the team, behind Smith, Smith and Steele. The plan is to start Tyler Smith at Left Guard, and both Richards and Bass will compete with recently signed veteran free agent, and former 3rd round pick of the Jets, Chuma Edoga, and 2021 7th round pick Matt Farniok for backing up the two guard and Center positions.

If Steele cannot start the season opener, or if Tyron or Steele gets injured, Tyler Smith will kick out to Tackle, and one of the backups will quickly become a starter.at Guard. The interesting thing about all the Cowboys projected interior linemen is that, other than Biadasz, they all played Offensive Tackle in College.

• RG Zach Martin (6'4", 315 lbs) - started 52 games at Left Tackle for Notre Dame
• RG Matt Farniok (6'5", 311 lbs) - started 14 games at Right Tackle, 9 games at Right Guard, and 1 game at Center for Nebraska
• RG T.J. Bass (6'4", 317 lbs) - started 6 games at Left Guard, and 21 games at Left Tackle for Oregon
• LG Tyler Smith (6'5", 320 lbs) - started 23 games at Left Tackler for Tulsa
• LG Chuma Edoga (6'3", 308 lbs) - started 26 games at Right Tackle, and 2 games at Left Tackle for USC
• LG Asim Richards (6'4", 309 lbs) - started 38 games at Left Tackle for North Carolina
• LG Josh Ball (6'6", 304 lbs) - stared 9 games at Left Tackle for Florida State, and 8 games at Left Tackle for Marshall

Obviously, Martin and Smith are the starters. But after that, do you really care which players win the primary backup jobs at Left and Right Tackle?

As for the rookie, Richards, Bass and Bostick, do you care about their draft status? I don't. If Bostick can beat out Waletzo for the swing tackle backup position, more power to him. And it doesn't matter to me if Bass beats out Richards. Once the players are here, I'm not too worrried about giving the draft picks a better chance than the undrafted players. The coaches should only be concerned about picking the best players. Former Draft picks like Ball, Waletzo and Edoga, and current 2023 draft pick Richards don't get any awards from me for being drafted, over players like Bass and Bostick, or last year's undrafted center Alec Lindstrom. Let the competition on the field decide who wins. I don't care about the Cowboys "reputation" for wasting draft picks. And I don't think anyone should care.

The Cowboys drafted WR Danny Coale the same year they signed undrafted WR Cole Beasley. Obviously keeping Beasley was the right choice. Cowboys starting Rigt Tackle Terence Steele went undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2020, but has developed into a better than average right tackle in the NFL. So, for me, looking at our rookie offensive linemen, I don't care about their draft status. I wish them all well, and hope we find a gem who can be a future started for the Cowboys - drafted or not.

Doesnt matter because chances are they are all going to get overwhelmed this year anyway.

 

[Teague31]

Bostick most definitely needs a year on the PS. Curious to see if Bass can make it to the 53

 

[Risen Star]

All three should have been drafted.

 

[gtb1943]

What's the point here? How many teams hit on more than one or two of those guys a decade?

Some here trying to claim we have some kind of gift doing better which is of course BS.

 

[Jumbo075]

Free played Right Tackle in 2015 and 2016 when La’el Collins was on the team. Collins was signed as a rookie in 2015, played Left Guard, and then took over at Right Tackle in 2017 when Free Retired after the 2016 season.

 

[rambo2]

sad fact is that with the exception of Steele our low rd or UDFA Oline prospects have not panned out for many years.
Biadasz is a fourth rd. Everyone else is a first rd pick. and all our BEST OLINE PLAYERS are high rd picks.
Steele is an exception and should not be looked at any other way. While only a 4th rd pick Biadasz had a very notable college career ending with being the winner of the Rimmington Trophy.

So Richards might make it; but the rest? Just hope and that is all. No substance.

What's sad about it? They filled 5 spots with a solid oline. Now they have added a solid blocking tight end to the mix and some of the young guys are going to work out well.

 

[rambo2]

sad fact is that with the exception of Steele our low rd or UDFA Oline prospects have not panned out for many years.
Biadasz is a fourth rd. Everyone else is a first rd pick. and all our BEST OLINE PLAYERS are high rd picks.
Steele is an exception and should not be looked at any other way. While only a 4th rd pick Biadasz had a very notable college career ending with being the winner of the Rimmington Trophy.

So Richards might make it; but the rest? Just hope and that is all. No substance.

What's sad about it? They filled 5 spots with a solid oline. Now they have added a solid blocking tight end to the mix and some of the young guys are going to work out well.

 

[JoeKing]

Wait and see how these young ones do before judging our O-line. They may have no impact at all on who starts. We have enough veteran linemen to keep the rookies off the starting line.

 

[rambo2]

Wait and see how these young ones do before judging our O-line. They may have no impact at all on who starts. We have enough veteran linemen to keep the rookies off the starting line.

My money is on Waletzko and I think Bass can contribute.

 

[big dog cowboy]

My money is on Waletzko

He is going to surprise some folks.

 

[rambo2]

He is going to surprise some folks.

I think is primed to be a good one. They fixed his shoulder and worked on his development.

 

[Jumbo075]

Both Waletzko and Ball spent their rookie seasons on IR. People were optumistic about 4th round pick Josh Ball last summer, the same way they are optimistic about Waletzko this summer.

But Ball was disappointing in his audition last summer, and fans have soured on him. There isn’t a logical reason for the optimism about 5th round pick Waletzko this year. Of course, we can hope that he does well and should hope for that as fans. But Ball actually got a lot more time on the field last year during practice to improve than Waletzko, since Waletzko was rehabbing all year. Meanwhile, Ball was playing every week between Monday and Saturday, trying to hone his skills.

We shouldn’t be so quick to give up on Ball. The Cowboys haven’t given up on him yet. And we should be willing to be hopeful that he.continues to develop and becomes a good player. Last summer was a trial by combat for Ball, and he showed his inexperience. But he has more experience now, and I am hoping he surprises many of us by showing improvement.

Of course, I’m hopeful for Waletzko also, but he’s coming into camp this summer like Ball did last year - rusty from spending a year not actually playing football. We’ll see how quickly he can shake the rust off. God forbid he has a bad play or two, else some fans will quickly give up on him also.