Despite the reputation of the Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line as the most dominant in the NFL, they did not perform to that standard in 2018. There were plenty of reasons why. Mainly, the loss of All-Pro center Travis Frederick who suffered from the effects of the rare nerve disease Guillain–Barre syndrome. Additionally, fellow All-Pro’s Tyron Smith and Zack Martin struggled with injuries of their own. Finally, an offensive line coaching change prior to last season did not have the intended effect and only after Marc Columbo replaced Paul Alexander mid-season in 2018, did the O-Line begin to resemble their dominant selves. This season, the Dallas Cowboys offensive line hopes to reattain the level of dominance that has earned them the reputation as being the league’s best.
The likelihood that the Dallas Cowboys offensive line reaches it’s potential depends on a great many things. Will Travis Frederick return to form following a year long lay off? Will Tyron Smith’s back flare up again? How serious is Zack Martin’s injury and will he miss any time in the regular season? Can Connor Williams, who bulked up in the off-season, improve upon his rookie season? Can La’el Collins piece together a consistent season from start to finish? In order to give the Cowboys the greatest chance to succeed in 2019, the starting offensive lineman need to put their best foot forward.
The biggest issue with the Dallas Cowboys offensive line the last few seasons has been depth. Most notably when the big three of Smith, Frederick, or Martin are out then it usually spells big problems for the Cowboys. Behind Tyron Smith the Cowboys kept Cameron Fleming and he should retain his role as the swing tackle. Fleming is serviceable there and a far cry from the disaster that was Chaz Green. On the interior line Joe Looney returns after filling in admirably for Frederick last season. Also on the interior offensive line Adam Redmond and Xavier Sua-Filo are in contention for roster spots. The Cowboys also drafted Connor McGovern out of Penn State and although he has missed training camp due to a pectoral injury he is certain to make the roster. Competing at tackle are UDFA Mitch Hyatt and Jake Campos. Hyatt was hyped as a potential steal when the Cowboys signed him but his play in the the first two preseason games has left little doubt as to why he went undrafted in the first place.
It is unclear how many offensive linemen the Dallas Cowboys will retain on the roster this year but most of the pieces they have added are meant to serve as either emergency depth or as future starters. Ultimately the starting offensive line must stay healthy if they hope to make a championship run this season.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode