Going into the new season, there are many reasons to get excited about the Dallas Cowboys football team. Two veteran stars have been acquired in Stephon Gilmour and Brandon Cox and this raises expectations. The coordinator we love to love, Dan Quinn, is back, and the defense is ready for another big year. And Mike McCarthy takes over from the less popular coordinator, Kellen Moore, in an effort to make the offense a little better. How could you not be angry about this upcoming season?
Well, we’re glad you asked because at BTB we like to examine both sides of a coin, close our eyes, and imagine the wheels are going off season. guess what? That wasn’t nice.
The only thing that could make things go south in a hurry is a season full of problems along the offensive line. This exact thing happened in 2017 when Dak Prescott was running for his life after Tyron Smith was injured and the next guys (Chazz Greene and then Byron Bell) were horrible. It was a complete disaster.
The Cowboys are no strangers to battling through injuries in recent years as Smith getting hurt has become a regular occurrence, but to their credit they have done a much better job building depth over the past few years. This season, there are many question marks on the offensive line and to be completely honest, how well this group performs can go in a few different directions. Today, we are going to examine the best and worst case scenarios for the Cowboys offensive line.
In this week’s episode of The Star Seminar, Rabblerousr and I examine the state of the Cowboys’ offensive line and identify areas of concern and potential positive aspects of this set of positions. Be sure to check it out and subscribe to Blogging The Boys so you don’t miss any of our shows! Apple devices can sign up here And Spotify users can sign up here.
The edge holds up
The biggest questions for the offensive line center around what will happen with the team’s tackles. Both anticipated starters from last year, Tyron Smith and Terence Steele, have suffered injuries that sidelined them for months. Smith missed the first 13 games and returned comfortably when the Steel lost this season.
This season, we’ll be holding our breath again. While it seems like it’s only a matter of time before Smith gets hurt, that won’t stop us from crossing our fingers and hoping for a stroke of luck. And speaking of being healthy, all signs are that Steele will be fine by the start of the season. If it returns to its usual self, this will do wonders in securing the edges.
The left guard appears
The best-case scenario starts with healthy years with tackles, but that’s a gift that keeps giving as it will allow second-year rising star Tyler Smith to play left guard. Remember, that was last year’s plan, but injuries derailed it early on. What if we finally get to see this plan go into action and Smith dumps people? The Cowboys don’t have any other clear answer at left guard and it would be great if one of their toughest offensive linemen could bully the defenders in the trenches.
Young youngsters
Continuing with the theme of Tyler Smith’s domination will see him put together a breakout season. He played more shots than anyone else on the team last year, and this kid is just getting started. Since 2010, the Cowboys have drafted nine players who have become All-Pro and it is only a matter of time before he becomes No. 10.
Add Steele’s continued growth, another PRO Bowl An offer from Tyler Biadasz and perhaps a surprise from a player like Matt “Let’s go!” Waletzko or UDFA TJ Bass and things may look very bright for the future of the offensive line.
I can’t stay healthy
If good health is at the top of the best-case list, it’s only fitting that combat injuries lead to the worst-case scenario. It all starts with Tyron Smith whose health trajectory is not looking good at all. Just look at the stages of his career:
- Until the age of 25, he’d started 79 of 80 games, great!
- In the next four seasons, he missed exactly 13 games, MEH
- Having scored 30, he’s never played in more than 11 games in a season, and that includes two of the past three years where he only played two games (2020) and four games (2022), UH OH!
This doesn’t inspire confidence because we’ve all made ourselves expect him to get off at some point. The saving grace is that we know they have a huge back up in Tyler if When that happens, but it’s just one person. What happens if Steel is slow to recover? Knee injuries are brutal, and while he doesn’t count on them for sudden cuts and blistering cuts like Michael Gallup, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Steele has a slight downturn in his recovery season either.
Father time is undefeated
Not only is maintaining your health important, but also performing at the expected level. When is the mileage finally approaching Tyrone Smith? We all expect him to be great when he’s on the field because he always has been, but players eventually get tired. It’s just the law of nature in the NFL. And it’s not just Smith who can slip up a bit. Zach Martin will turn 33 midway through the season. While we all expect him to be great, what if his typical All-Pro status was downgraded to “Solid?” Do the Cowboys have enough collective goodness to outdo their superstars as humans and really show their age?
Everything gets mixed up
If the Cowboys have problems on the offensive line, there’s a good chance we’ll see McCarthy move people again. So far, everyone and their brother have been mentioned to play left guard. And there are many scenarios where replacing one injured player can lead to two faces appearing in new places. If the Cowboys find themselves pulling names out of the hat on a weekly basis as they scramble to find the “right” one, it could get hairy because it would hinder their ability to create cohesion along the offensive line.