The Dallas Cowboys offensive line has a lot of potential entering this season.
It feels like a lot of people around football fandom have the wrong idea and have had it incorrect for some time. To be fair this sort of thing tends to happen. We associate certain teams with certain things and those ideas become locked in our brains.
Penn State always churns out top-tier linebackers (that’s true around here). The Pittsburgh Steelers really know how to draft wide receivers (not exactly untrue). Alabama defensive linemen are monsters (again, sort of fair). The Big XII cannot produce a high-level quarterback (Patrick Mahomes, though).
You get the point. Certain things become facts in our brains and nothing can change them. For a lot of non-Dallas Cowboys fans they believe that the team has the best offensive line in the NFL because they did for such a long time even though that is not and has not been the case for some time.
In case you are unaware, we have been walking through every position group on the roster in the lead up to training camp (less than a month to go!) and up next is the final installment of the offensive side of the ball, the big boys up front.
Here are all of the position groups that we have discussed so far.
There is a lot of potential within this year’s group although that could also mean that things go a little not-so-according-to-plan.
Let’s break it down.
Tyler Guyton
When your position group has the team’s first-round pick within it then expectations are going to be significant. That is the way things go.
Tyler Guyton does have the biggest paycheck among the rookie class, and beyond that is charged with the reputation that beholds first-round offensive linemen before him. No big deal, rookie. Just go out there and look the way Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and Tyler Smith all did. That’s all. Or else!
The ceremonial part of things will lead to Guyton not taking first-team reps right away but we all know that he is this team’s starting left tackle. It will be the second time in three seasons that Dallas trots out someone green at their quarterback’s blind side which is a risky way to do business. Still, they deserve the benefit of the doubt here.
Guyton has always been someone that analysts believed would require a little bit of time to realize his full potential. It makes a ton of sense to be excited about his overall future and career with this team but he will need to hit the ground running.
Tyler Smith
There are a lot of people (myself included) who thought it may have been best to kick Tyler Smith out to left tackle. Thankfully the Cowboys figured something out and can keep him at the position where he has thrived the most.
It feels like this is the season where Smith ascends to the “best interior linemen in the NFL” level if he isn’t already with a seat at the table. The stage is set for him to firmly establish himself, and if he does then next year could be very different given that he will be eligible for a contract extension for the first time.
Beyond existing as an incredibly reliable player, Smith also represents a point of serious hope in our current moment. He was doubted many times over by fans (myself included again) and turned into yet another reason to trust this scouting department when it comes to this position group.
Cooper Beebe
Among the reasons that the Tyler Guyton pick worked out so wonderfully for the Cowboys was that his selection involved a trade down that netted the team Cooper Beebe. Let’s go.
Beebe was a favorite among many fans entering the NFL draft and that he wound up in Dallas feels like a dream even still. One of the more aggressive players who loves to “dirt” his opponents, the Cowboys may have stumbled into a franchise-level center for the third time in a row. All Cooper Beebe needs now is a history in Madison to match his predecessors Travis Frederick and Tyler Biadasz.
Like with Guyton, we will probably see Beebe sidelined at the beginning of camp. Unlike Guyton though, Cooper has some legitimate-ish competition for his role at starting center as Brock Hoffman seems unlikely to let it go easily.
The Cowboys will be better served in the long run if Beebe winds up winning the position throughout the duration of camp. It seems safe to say that a majority are rooting for him to do so, now he just hast to live up to all of the hype.
We will be dropping videos breaking down position groups on the Dallas Cowboys roster every Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks as we get closer and closer to training camp. Make sure to subscribe to the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel (which you can do right here) so you do not miss any of them.
Zack Martin
It is hard to say anything new about Zack Martin given that he has played at an elite level for a decade now. Time flies.
Time is really the only thing of concern now as we are clearly much closer to the end of his storied career than the beginning. Many Cowboys greats have come before and played with Martin that did not ever get to touch the Lombardi Trophy and it is the sincere hope of everyone involved that his fate will be different than the likes of Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Jason Witten, Dez Bryant, Tony Romo, Sean Lee, Dan Bailey and so many others.
If there is anything you can set your watch by on the Cowboys it is Zack Martin playing at a Hall of Fame level. He is one of one. Let us enjoy every second of him that we can while we can.
Terence Steele
Can you believe that Terence Steele has the second-most tenure of all Dallas Cowboys offensive linemen? Me neither.
Steele is a proper option on the right side of things, one that can be counted on but not one that we are assuming as one of the better parts of the team. His career has involved him floating along the spectrum between underrated to overpaid which is the life of many NFL players.
Given what Dallas did this offseason though in terms of free agency and the NFL draft they clearly believe that Steele is a tried and true part of their overall operation. He is not even a year removed from a five-year extension with the team that was worth almost $90M, so it is fair to continue to involve him as a starter.
Chuma Edoga
Is Edoga the leading candidate to be the Cowboys swing tackle? It feels that way. That sounds a bit uninspired but you could certainly do a lot worse in terms of your sixth-man along the offensive line.
Edoga was certainly serviceable for the Cowboys last year. He can really play all over the place so he provides legitimate depth and will certainly be a part of the roster when it is all said and done.
Brock Hoffman
For a bit there it seemed like Hoffman was in line to be the starting center for the Cowboys. There is obviously a world where Beebe struggles throughout camp and we still get to that point. With all due respect to Mr. Hoffman, we are obviously hoping that this is not the case.
It feels like the floor of depth is higher for the Cowboys than it has been in recent seasons. Say the team had to start Hoffman now, we would be okay with that, right? How many years can we have said that? To where if the backup center had to enter the game we would feel pretty solid to fairly good about the state of things? It is a nice luxury to have.
That being said, Hoffman will make Cooper earn the starting center job which will make for a fun training camp situation to follow.
T.J. Bass
Like with Hoffman the Cowboys appear to have a high point of stability on the second shift with T.J. Bass. Again, a good problem to have.
There are no openings at guard for the Cowboys at the moment but there is always room for bodies in case of emergency. Bass will likely be the primary beneficiary of veteran days for Zack Martin and Tyler Smith presuming the latter has graduated to that point.
Interior depth really is not a common thing across the NFL so the Cowboy deserve credit for keeping the cupboard full which is a weird thing to say in an offseason that saw them let both Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz walk. But credit is given where it is due and it is the case here.
The Rest of the Group
Asim Richards is entering his second season with the Cowboys and given the time left on his rookie deal probably has the inside track over Matt Waletzko. In fact, Waletzko may be battling for that last roster spot if the Cowboys wind up taking 10 total linemen with newbie Nathan Thomas.
Ultimately the likes of Josh Ball, Earl Bostick Jr. and Dakoda Shepley will be names that we see across the majority of training camp but do not figure to ultimately factor into any serious final roster discussions. For the most part it feels like at least eight names are set in place with the final two being a matter of finalities being reached.
But you can never have enough quality offensive linemen so hopefully somebody develops to the point that the Cowboys are suddenly in a surplus situation.
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