Let's talk a little offensive line now, early in view

[CCBoy]

Now mentioning La'el Collins — the former starting right tackle who was supplanted in 2022 by Terence Steele. But in mentioning Collins, I'd be remiss to not recall his trajectory to that role, because it began at left guard.

The trio of Leary/Collins, Frederick and Zack Martin was devastating to opposing defensive lines, and it's something the Cowboys have been trying to get back to for years now, with Martin being the only remaining superstar from that lineup. Oh, and Collins made his return to the Cowboys in 2023, by the way.

Present: Collins made it known following his most recent signing that he'll play wherever the Cowboys ask him to, and it's not as if he's unaccustomed to sliding back to the role of guard if it all comes to that. It shouldn't, however, given the emergence of both T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman as young, capable interior linemen who have both shown an ability to step in and be impactful as a starter when their number is called. One look at the film from Bass, especially, and Hoffman in 2023 and you'll find immediate evidence as to why the Cowboys — who entered last year's training camp with a myriad of questions surrounding the depth of their interior offensive line — are now flush with talent in that role.

Better still is the fact Bass was a rookie last season and Hoffman was only in Year 2 of his young NFL career, meaning there are years of tread remaining on their still-new tires. And the same can be said of Asim Richards in that regard, though it's unclear what position the former UNC standout will be relegated to in 2024.

Future: If Biadasz does not agree to a new deal by mid-March, he'll be an unrestricted free agent and open up a massive void in the middle of the offensive line, because it's undetermined if Hoffman (who can and has played center in his football past) is ready for what comes with doing so in front of Dak Prescott and in-between Tyler Smith and Zack Martin.

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/what-s-next-cowboys-interior-ol-nearly-solid

Zack Martin

The near future is bright though, all things considered, assuming perennial All-Pro and future first-ballot Hall of Fame right guard Zack Martin is in uniform for another few years; though it is also time to at least begin the uncomfortable conversation regarding what the post-Martin era would look like. After all, he'll be 34 years old before the next season concludes, and the fact he's been Mr. Durable for nearly the entirety of his career also means there's a lot of wear on his body.

Tyron Smith

The injury bug continued to sting the Cowboys' offensive line in 2023. It led to a merry-go-round in the first three weeks of the season and again toward the back end of it, but the promising news is that Tyron Smith was able to take the field in a total of 13 starts — the most since 2019. It was largely due to the new practice regimen that involved Smith "not" practicing at all and instead focusing solely on walkthroughs, and that plan may have added at least another year to his Hall of Fame-caliber career.

Smith left much to be desired in the run-blocking department, ranking 30th out of qualified players this year. However, he finished first with his league-leading 89.3 pass-blocking grade, a stat which boosted his 4th-ranked overall grade.

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/what-s-next-addressing-cowboys-ot-dilemma

Matt Waletzko and Earl Bostick Jr. for the role of swing tackle, at minimum. It's unclear where Asim Richards fits in this equation, a former tackle at UNC who didn't get any burn as a rookie on the edge and who might also see some camp work on the interior (again).

Terence Steele​

PFF Overall (NFL Rank): 52.3 (69th)
PFF Run Blocking (NFL Rank): 56.5 (56th)
PFF Pass Blocking (NFL Rank): 48.9 (69th)
If anyone in the Cowboys' front office bothers to check PFF, they would be disgusted with Terence Steele's grades this season.
Approximately a week before the season started, the team was so impressed by his rehab from a torn ACL in October of 2022 that they awarded him a new contract.
Steele didn't make good on his new 5-year/$86.8mil contract, instead showing how dangerous it is to sign players coming off of major injuries.
It appears the Cowboys made the same mistake with Michael Gallup, but that's a story for another article.

Grade: D+​

Dallas Offensive Line: Evaluating the Cowboys Tackles in 2023

 

[ShiningStar]

Martin may not make another year. Certainly not without down time.

Steele has reached his potential

 

[CCBoy]

Goodbye, Mr. Smith​

Tyron Smith (Left Tackle), Tyler Biadasz (Center), and Chuma Edoga (Guard) will all become unrestricted free agents this spring.

All three need to be playing somewhere else this fall.

Smith is the toughest to part with. He has started every game he played in from 2011 through 2023.

Last year he played in 13 of the Cowboys' 17 games.

Unless he's willing to take a significant pay cut, his injury history makes him too much of a risk. That money can be spent elsewhere more wisely.

Both Edoga and Biadasz struggled at times in 2023. Undrafted free agent T.J. Bass easily outclassed Edoga in his rookie year.

And Brock Hoffman blocked like a beast when he saw action.

He could replace Biadasz at center and instantly improve the blocking for the Cowboys' running backs.

https://insidethestar.com/the-cowboys-offensive-line-needs-a-serious-overhaul/



Fuaga is a 6-6, 334-pound manster – no, I did not just have a stroke, I said manster. He's just what I want in an offensive lineman to run the ball behind.

Alabama's J.C. Latham at 6-6, 360 pounds is also a nice possibility.

I'd have included Georgia's Amarius Mims (6-7, 240) but you know how the Philadelphia Eagles love drafting Georgia players.

They'll probably trade up and take him in the first round.

2.52: Oregon Center Jackson Powers-Johnson​

Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports
The Cowboys replace free agent Tyler Biadasz with the top center in the draft. Powers-Johnson has a ton of athleticism and a mean streak the pivot man must have in the NFL. The Ducks run a zone-based scheme, so he’s already familiar with working laterally and in conjunction with his teammates.

https://insidethestar.com/the-cowboys-offensive-line-needs-a-serious-overhaul/

But again, we want size on the line. Because we're going to shove our way to the Super Bowl.

 

[ShiningStar]

any player that has a chance, now is the time to leave, unless you want a pay check, than please, just stay. if you want to be successful and a shot at being a winner, walk away, do it now, do it proudly. walk away from this dumpster fire.

 

[CCBoy]

Martin may not make another year. Certainly not without down time.

Steele has reached his potential

Steele has been IR and graded very low for this season. Even lower than Collins in the past.

Martin is being projected for another 2-3 years at present.

 

[FlynnB]

Goodbye, Mr. Smith​

Tyron Smith (Left Tackle), Tyler Biadasz (Center), and Chuma Edoga (Guard) will all become unrestricted free agents this spring.

All three need to be playing somewhere else this fall.

Smith is the toughest to part with. He has started every game he played in from 2011 through 2023.

Last year he played in 13 of the Cowboys' 17 games.

Unless he's willing to take a significant pay cut, his injury history makes him too much of a risk. That money can be spent elsewhere more wisely.

Both Edoga and Biadasz struggled at times in 2023. Undrafted free agent T.J. Bass easily outclassed Edoga in his rookie year.

And Brock Hoffman blocked like a beast when he saw action.

He could replace Biadasz at center and instantly improve the blocking for the Cowboys' running backs.

https://insidethestar.com/the-cowboys-offensive-line-needs-a-serious-overhaul/



Fuaga is a 6-6, 334-pound manster – no, I did not just have a stroke, I said manster. He's just what I want in an offensive lineman to run the ball behind.

Alabama's J.C. Latham at 6-6, 360 pounds is also a nice possibility.

I'd have included Georgia's Amarius Mims (6-7, 240) but you know how the Philadelphia Eagles love drafting Georgia players.

They'll probably trade up and take him in the first round.

2.52: Oregon Center Jackson Powers-Johnson​

Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports
The Cowboys replace free agent Tyler Biadasz with the top center in the draft. Powers-Johnson has a ton of athleticism and a mean streak the pivot man must have in the NFL. The Ducks run a zone-based scheme, so he’s already familiar with working laterally and in conjunction with his teammates.

https://insidethestar.com/the-cowboys-offensive-line-needs-a-serious-overhaul/

But again, we want size on the line. Because we're going to shove our way to the Super Bowl.

I don't know many players who have taken a significant pay cut. But Smith's injuries make the team weaker. Pro sports is always about injuries. Maybe Smith should consider ending his career.

 

[CATCH17]

How did that lineman do that we chose Mazi Smith over??

 

[CCBoy]

Tyron Smith played incredibly well, and is still only 33 years old. The Cowboys should look to bring him back. The team still has Tyler Smith, but it’s hard to move an All-Pro offensive guard to a different position. Asim Richards is an unknown after his rookie season, but has the ability to be a left tackle in an emergency situation. The depth at offensive tackle in this draft is too good to overlook, as up to nine prospects could be selected in Round 1.

Graham Barton, Duke 6-foot-5, 314 pounds​

Barton has some issues, but almost all of them have to do with him playing offensive tackle. The good thing for Dallas is that they would likely move him to the center position and his strengths all make for an excellent prospect there. He is a terrific run blocker, his get off is excellent, he gets to the second level consistently, and makes his blocks when he gets there. Barton is smart, making all the calls at the line will be something he excels at, and he will play to and through the whistle.

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/lists/cowboys-2024-nfl-draft-first-round-prospects/

Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia 6-foot-4, 310 pounds​

Van Pran is a plug-and-play center prospect who would immediately improve the position for Dallas. He is strong, quick, flexible, smart, and is good at all the details like hand usage, lateral movement, punch, and timing. He doesn’t have flaws in his technical game, but he has issues that comes from his stature. He isn’t the largest size, & his length & core strength causes him problems against longer & stronger defensive tackles. Van Pran could play in any system and start as a rookie. Dallas prefers the technique linemen over powerhouse types, so they could look to Van Pran as their style of center.

 

[CowboyoWales]

Martin may not make another year. Certainly not without down time.

Steele has reached his potential

Im giving Steele a 'mulligan', hoping/trusting that his recovery time is on the same trajectory as Virgil Van Dyke (Liverpool FC), who took two years to regain confidence after an ACL.

Yep on Martin, hopefully he takes a similar deal to Tyron. Yep we need another Tyler draft (G/OT potential).

The concern is that if we're looking 'all-in' for 2025 then there are plenty more holes to fill in the 1st Rd of the draft than the O-line.

 

[DogFace]

Does anyone know if not allowing a sack in college-ever is a rare thing?

Hearing that about Bass got me excited last year and made me wonder how he fell to us last year.

 

[DogFace]

Excellent thread btw @CCBoy

Much needed here lately. Thanks

 

[Starforever]

Dallas will hold on to players for past years production. They seem to look backwards for the future. Smith will be here until he wants to leave. Martin will demand a King's ransom, and the other pawns will be paid respectively. Forbes, will soon be making their list. Keep your fingers crossed.