Depending on the way one looks at it, Jerry Jones and the Jones family at large are either meddlers or incredibly engaged owners when it comes to the football operations side of things. Few ownership groups have their fingers on so many football-related things regarding their team. And while sometimes that is most definitely a negative, their views on the Dallas Cowboys‘ offensive line have always been clear-cut. The Jones family wants to put the best five players on the field.
Before the NFL Draft came and went, with Dallas’ only move being to add fifth-round pick Asim Richards to the mix as someone who will likely slide inside at the NFL level but has over 2,000 snaps at left tackle in his college career, there were all sorts of speculation surrounding the five players they would field, and where they would go.
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In a sense, not using high-end draft capital on a guard or tackle was a good thing for the Cowboys. It means the coaching staff, which has a propensity to play musical chairs with the offensive line, is sort of stuck.
If there is anything that the Jones family loves more than keeping the Dallas Cowboys at the forefront of the NFL news cycle, it’s “positional flexibility.” Head coach Mike McCarthy and his staff absolutely love that same idea. The coach was asked about the possibility of Terence Steele training on the interior this offseason in March.
“I mean, we’re talking about it,” McCarthy told reporters. “Yeah, we’re talking about it. We haven’t got in there with those guys yet. [The] offseason program starts in April, but yeah, we’ll definitely … we’re looking at all those things.”
But at the owner’s meeting that McCarthy spoke at, Jones seemed to have other ideas.
“He’s such a top tackle … as we have it right now, he should be the backup tackle on both sides as we would look at it right today,” Jones said during the NFL owners’ meetings.
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“That’s a lot of position flex right there. You say, ‘Why don’t you move Tyler [Smith] in (to guard)?’ but we also know that Tyron [Smith] and Tyler both would make quite a tandem out there. The smart play would be to have outstanding depth there, and Steele gives you that.”
But whiffing on guard in the draft forces the Cowboys’ hand, which in the end, likely makes the Cowboys a better offense… at least, before Tyron Smith misses time due to injury.
That is an inevitability. Smith hasn’t played more than 13 games since 2016 and has played only 17 games in total over the past three seasons.
When that happens, that is when things will get very interesting on the Cowboys’ offensive line. The team is hopeful that Matt Waletzko and Josh Ball can contribute in a meaningful way, and it appears both will see time at tackle and guard.
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“Both Josh and Matt, individually, feel great about them,” McCarthy said. “Matt’s having a great offseason. Obviously had the surgery, so he’s knocking it out of the park there. And Josh, I think clearly will work more inside than out. He does a tremendous job in the offseason program. I’m excited to see those guys play in the preseason. They’re ready. We’ve just got to get them battle-tested.”
Former third-round pick Chuma Edoga provides some much-needed depth on the Cowboys’ offensive line. Although he’s played fewer than 1,000 snaps as a pro in his four seasons, he’s played both tackle positions and played limited reps at guard last season.
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This would make things very messy. However, reports indicate that Steele should be ready by the time training camp rolls around in July.
If, for some reason, there is a setback, it shifts everything left, with Tyron Smith making a wraparound to the right side. In that case, Tyler would start at left tackle until Steele was ready to return or until Tyron misses time.
Injuries are part of the sport. Tyler played well as a rookie at tackle and guard, but the athletes in the NFL are the best of the best. It takes insane levels of specialization to become an expert at something, and spending time at two positions takes time away from becoming truly special at one of them.
Playing guard and playing tackle are two different positions completely. The only silver lining is that he wouldn’t have to switch sides, which would make for an even greater specialization curve.