The New Era of the Cowboys Offensive Line
The days of the Great Wall of Dallas for the Cowboys have officially come to an end with the retirement of future first-ballot Hall of Famer Zack Martin. Another member of the line has gone into retirement too, with Tyron Smith announcing his shortly after Martin, signing a one-day contract with the Cowboys to officially call it quits. With two cornerstones of the line calling it quits, the new era of the Cowboys' offensive line has been starting to come to life, with the past three of the past four first-round picks being offensive linemen. It will be hard for Dallas to replicate the Hall of Fame talent Dallas had for years at those positions, but there is positive hope that this next group of players will follow in their footsteps.
Dallas started to remodel the line by drafting Tyler Smith back in 2022, where he has exceeded expectations, making an All-Pro team and two Pro Bowls. After skipping a lineman in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys chose left tackle Tyler Guyton in 2024 from Oklahoma, who has had a slow start thus far. In the same draft class, they selected guard Cooper Beebe to play center, where he has been impressive and shown leadership qualities to lead the line. In the most recent draft, the Cowboys hoped to find a replacement for Martin by drafting Alabama's Tyler Booker, who had the highest floor in his position.
These four players make up four positions of the offensive line with a combined age of 22.75, which gives Dallas hope for years to come. Smith's versatility gives the Cowboys an elite guard and Pro Bowl-level tackle play. Guyton's strength and size are perfect for being Dak Prescott’s blindside tackle. Beebe at center helped the Dallas run game create lanes, and with him playing the position for the first time and showing exceptional potential gives Dallas the idea that he can be elite in the future and while Booker hasn’t touched the field yet, him being a captain at Alabama his sophomore season and his demeanor since being drafted is all Dallas could’ve asked for with selecting him in this year’s first round. The group is young, but with what they have shown in years past, Dallas could have them in a new great era of an offensive line.
