Cowboy fans have long taken for granted that their team has one of if not the best offensive lines in the league. That perception changed dramatically last year after personal change and injuries exposed the lack of depth of the Dallas Cowboys offensive line. With three perennial All-Pro’s in Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin it is hard to blame Cowboy fans for their confidence in that group. However, a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link and that became evident last season and particularly in the Atlanta game. The injury to Tyron Smith and the inability of Chaz Green and then Byron Bell to fill his shoes coupled with the incompetence of the coaching staff to adjust to the personal change is what completely derailed the Cowboys 2017 season.
Despite the obvious impact of Smith’s injury there were other factors that contributed to the offensive line issues in 2017. Losing Ronald Leary to free agency and then Doug Free to retirement last year was a a major blow for the Cowboys. Jonathan Cooper won the job at guard and had a strong year but was a downgrade from Leary. La’el Collins started off shaky at right tackle but I felt that by the end of the season he proved to be an upgrade over Free. Despite Collins emergence at right tackle, the absence of a competent swing tackle was a major issue for the Cowboys. They have addressed this concern by signing Cameron Flemming out of New England. They also picked up some depth at guard/center by picking up Marcus Martin from Cleveland. Hopefully the big three can remain healthy and Cowboys fans will not have to lean on that added depth.
At left guard Jonathan Cooper will be replaced by athletic rookie Connor Williams. The Cowboys are very impressed with Williams. So much so that they reportedly turned down an Earl Thomas trade in order to draft him in the second round. He may turn out to be the steal of the draft but Cowboy fans would do well to remember that he is a rookie and that there is typically a learning curve in the NFL.
Joe Looney will likely remain on the team to provide depth at guard and center but Chaz Green’s future could be a question mark. After his disastrous start in Atlanta last season, Green may have completely lost his confidence. Most Cowboy fans would be happy to see him go but If he stays healthy he is likely to remain as a backup tackle. If he does get banged up during training camp though, I would not be surprised to see the Cowboys decide to move on from him with his injury history.
Aside from the personnel changes this offseason, the Cowboys also made another major change by hiring former Bengals OL coach Paul Alexander. Alexander is a very experienced and well respected coach who will provide a fresh new perspective to the Dallas Cowboys offensive line. Hopefully his knowledge and experience will have this group, which is loaded with 1st round talent, playing at it’s maximum potential.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode