How Big of a Concern is the Offensive Line for the Cowboys?
As the Cowboys enter the offseason, their primary focus is on improving the defense, which significantly hindered their success last year. With the NFL draft approaching in April and free agency just weeks away, there are still opportunities to improve other areas of the roster. A segment of the offense that has received significant investment still raises concerns about whether rotations or even replacements may be necessary. Dallas has put a good amount of capital and money into being able to protect Dak Prescott and have a dominant run; however, has the offensive line begun to be a concern?
To clarify, the concern does not lie with the Cowboys' interior offensive line. Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, and Tyler Booker have all shown in their short time playing that they are the key parts of the offensive line for the future. The question lies in both tackles, positions occupied by Tyler Guyton on the left and Terence Steele on the right. Guyton is still young and playing arguably the hardest position in football, blindside tackle, so the questions regarding his up-and-down play have context at least. Steele, on the other hand, has had his moments of great tackle play and the lowest of lows at tackle during his time in Dallas. Dallas could consider cutting Steele to save money and explore options in free agency or early in the draft for his replacement. However, with only one clear weakness on the offensive line, it is an issue that needs immediate attention.
The short answer is honestly no. If anything, it is a blessing for the Cowboys to only have one main concern on the offensive line. During this past postseason, it was clear that several teams faced multiple issues on their offensive lines, as demonstrated by the Patriots, who were Super Bowl participants. With the offensive line being the most one-for-all/all-for-one position group in the sport, missing one player or poor production from one player makes the entire unit crumble. The Cowboys are fortunate to have one of the better offensive lines in the league, and despite the concern over the tackle, they have their cornerstone pieces locked up.
