The Dallas Cowboys offensive line has long been considered the biggest strength of the roster. While they do have a lot of talented players at the position, their dominance has been exaggerated somewhat, especially of late. This season Joe Philbin was brought in as the new Dallas Cowboys offensive line coach and hopefully with his extensive experience and familiarity with new head coach Mike McCarthy, he can lead the unit to new heights in 2020.
For several years the mainstays of the offensive line have been Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zack Martin. With Frederick retiring unexpectedly this offseason, right tackle La’el Collins takes his place among the big three. Collins had a career year last year after signing an extension and is now widely considered one of the top right tackles in the league. Zack Martin is a future hall of famer and arguably the best player at the guard position in the NFL. Tyron Smith meanwhile has struggled with injuries the last few seasons but is still considered one of the elite offensive linemen in the entire league. Aside from those three guaranteed spots, there is an open competition to fill the left guard and centre positions.
The favorites to fill those spots are Joe Looney (who filled in for Travis Frederick at centre in 2018 and performed admirably) and Connor Williams. There will be stiff competition from second year man Connor McGovern who can play both spots, and rookie center Tyler Biadasz. Losing Frederick was a major blow to the offense but it does present an opportunity for one of the younger players to step up and rise to the occasion. Adam Redmond, Cody Wichmann, and Wyatt Miller round out the depth on the interior offensive line.
The tackle position is considered a strength with Tyron Smith and La’el Collins but the depth behind them is concerning. Newly signed Cameron Erving and returning players Mitch Hyatt and Brandon Knight are likely to fill either of those roles should either starter miss time. Terrance Steele, Isaac Alarcon, and Pace Murphy are the others players in the mix. In the past few seasons under Jason Garrett, the loss of a Tyron Smith and/or a La’el Collins was devastating for the Cowboys. The loss to Atlanta in 2017, part of a disastrous three game stretch without Tyron Smith, and the defeat to the lowly New York Jets last season are evidence to that. I am encouraged that with a new coaching staff, the Dallas Cowboys will be better prepared for and will better adjust to losing one of their premier players on offense.
I am encouraged and excited about the new coaching staff thus far this season. As it pertains to the Dallas Cowboys offensive line, I fully expect this unit to remain one of the better units in the entire league. Despite the loss of Travis Frederick, the new coaching staff will improve the overall performance of the offense and in particular the Dallas Cowboys offensive line when facing stronger competition.
*Photo by Joe Glorioso All-Pro Reels: //creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode]