CFZ I was surprised with Cowboys taking an unnecessary risk at Left Guard this year

plasticman

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What if there is no risk because they know that Asim Richards is the next Daron Bland, a 3rd day pick that turns out to be a hidden gem.

I'm curious to see how the new draft picks play. Let's see if there is some Will McClay magic.
 

Pass2Run

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We have guards. TJ Bass looked great in preseason, especially if you imagine what he can do in the running game with our shifty backs.

We need a center. If Bass ends up being able to play center, we're all set. Our fans and media were mostly asleep on Bass. He was one of my favorite UDFAs, aside from Cropper. He looks strong **, for a rookie UDFA, and has pretty good in-game agility.

He's already in the top 20th percentile or so as far as relative athleticism.

The way he comes off the ball, I'm betting he'll be good enough at center. He has the potential to really push for a starting job there. He just played tackle in college. To me, he projects better as an inside player in the NFL.



 
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jaythecowboy

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The more I think about this, the more I agree with the OP. In truth, nobody expected Farniok or Waletzko to be amazing at this point, and Chuma wasn’t exactly a riveting acquisition.

We are INCREDIBLY lucky that both Richards and Bass have shown to be instant upgrades to Farniok and Waletzko. That’s kind of insane. But what’s more insane is that Josh Ball found his calling at Guard, and will likely earn a backup role next year.

I guess the main point is if Richards and Bass were duds and Ball stayed awful, we would be in deep deep doodoo
Shouldn’t the Cowboys get credit for finding good oline options in later rounds? Even Steele was a udfa and turned into a quality starter.
 

DanA

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Bass has looked a hell of a lot better than you expect from a UDFA. I would have thrown the guard Tyron Smith money at a guard but it seems to have worked out okay.
 

McMicah

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Shouldn’t the Cowboys get credit for finding good oline options in later rounds? Even Steele was a udfa and turned into a quality starter.
They should get massive credit, but as you and I know, the chances of hitting on both a 5th rounder and a UDFA on the OL are incredibly low, no matter the scouting department. Terrance Steele has been basically the only one like that in years, and frankly we haven’t done well outside the first round lol (Lael Collins doesn’t count) in almost a decade

Kudos to Will McClays team, though. That will pay dividends for years.
 

big dog cowboy

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O'Cyrus Torrance in the second round. That fixes the problem.
Not really. Solari on draft day told the guys on the draft coverage that they are looking for "athletic" offensive linemen.The Cowboys had different priorities than you. Specifically, they want to run more effectively, which meant they needed a TE that can both block and run. That’s why they didn’t want Kincaid. He’s just a receiver. They identified the TE’s that we’re good at both blocking and receiving and we’re targeting those TE’s.
 

kskboys

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Not really. Solari on draft day told the guys on the draft coverage that they are looking for "athletic" offensive linemen.The Cowboys had different priorities than you. Specifically, they want to run more effectively, which meant they needed a TE that can both block and run. That’s why they didn’t want Kincaid. He’s just a receiver. They identified the TE’s that we’re good at both blocking and receiving and we’re targeting those TE’s.
Bass isn't athletic.
 

Creeper

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Over the years, the Cowboys have rotating people through. From Joe looney to Connor Williams.(who had some holding issues) to Connor McGovern. I know teams take calculated risks with guys to go to other teams and then replacing them with younger, cheaper players. Bass and Richards may turn out to be great and look good early for sure, but it is an unknown.

I was surprised as for taking an unnecessary risk at LG this year. McGovern only signed for 7 mil a year for three years with Buffalo. That is basically slot receiver money. It seems like an unnecessary risk for a guy that I really thought played technically sound and I think only gave up one sack. Seemed like a run blocking technician. I was surprised they let him go for such a low contract.

I get if the other guys play good, then everybody will say it worked out. It just seems like an unnecessary risk when a low cost solution in McGovern played very well for us and became a free agent. I appreciate future hall of famer Tyrone smith, but he had a rough game against the 49ers and gets dinged up and I like Tyler smith at LT. Time will tell on the risk.
I think the Cowboys might have assumed someone would step up and take the LG backup position. I suspect it was Farniok, but after 3 preseason games he just did not earn it. I think they still make have wanted to keep him but it did not work out. To me the bigger problem is backup C. I keep hearing they will move Hoffman into the backup role but he was even worse than Farniok. At this point, it looks like Dallas is going to take the risk and hope the Cowboys don;t suffer any serious injuries on the OL. Their backup situation may be the worst in years.
 

Cowboyny

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Over the years, the Cowboys have rotating people through. From Joe looney to Connor Williams.(who had some holding issues) to Connor McGovern. I know teams take calculated risks with guys to go to other teams and then replacing them with younger, cheaper players. Bass and Richards may turn out to be great and look good early for sure, but it is an unknown.

I was surprised as for taking an unnecessary risk at LG this year. McGovern only signed for 7 mil a year for three years with Buffalo. That is basically slot receiver money. It seems like an unnecessary risk for a guy that I really thought played technically sound and I think only gave up one sack. Seemed like a run blocking technician. I was surprised they let him go for such a low contract.

I get if the other guys play good, then everybody will say it worked out. It just seems like an unnecessary risk when a low cost solution in McGovern played very well for us and became a free agent. I appreciate future hall of famer Tyrone smith, but he had a rough game against the 49ers and gets dinged up and I like Tyler smith at LT. Time will tell on the risk.
Their plan was to plan Tyler Smith inside at Guard. The bigger question was keeping Tyron Smith on the team as a starting LT.
 

erod

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Over the years, the Cowboys have rotating people through. From Joe looney to Connor Williams.(who had some holding issues) to Connor McGovern. I know teams take calculated risks with guys to go to other teams and then replacing them with younger, cheaper players. Bass and Richards may turn out to be great and look good early for sure, but it is an unknown.

I was surprised as for taking an unnecessary risk at LG this year. McGovern only signed for 7 mil a year for three years with Buffalo. That is basically slot receiver money. It seems like an unnecessary risk for a guy that I really thought played technically sound and I think only gave up one sack. Seemed like a run blocking technician. I was surprised they let him go for such a low contract.

I get if the other guys play good, then everybody will say it worked out. It just seems like an unnecessary risk when a low cost solution in McGovern played very well for us and became a free agent. I appreciate future hall of famer Tyrone smith, but he had a rough game against the 49ers and gets dinged up and I like Tyler smith at LT. Time will tell on the risk.
You just described all 32 teams.

Even with these backups in, Dallas still has a better offensive line than half the league.
 

rambo2

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You just described all 32 teams.

Even with these backups in, Dallas still has a better offensive line than half the league.
And Richards and Bass look like they have upside potential. We just need the Football Gods to be nice to us.
 

VaqueroTD

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