One of the biggest concerns at the conclusion of the 2023 season for the Dallas Cowboys was the state of the offensive line moving forward.
Dallas lost two starters from a line that already received heavy scrutiny for a poor rushing attack. Long-time LT Tyron Smith (New York Jets) and C Tyler Biadasz (Washington Commanders) were staples on the offensive line.
Smith was allowed to test the free agent market after 13 stellar seasons with the Cowboys. The gentle giant was essentially given his walking papers after back problems along with a variety of other ailments limited his availability for years.
The New York Jets came calling, and the bright lights of the city plus the chance to block for the legendary Aaron Rodgers was enough to convince Smith to uproot from Texas and leave for The Big Apple.
Tyler Biadasz did not leave because of old age, but rather for more money than the Cowboys were willing to offer. I don’t have to tell you how strapped for cash the Cowboys (says Stephen Jones) appear to be when you look at the salary cap numbers.
Biadasz chose to follow former Cowboys’ DC Dan Quinn to Washington and will be blocking for rookie and college phenom, QB Jayden Daniels. Both of those departures left holes in the Cowboys’ starting five, and no clear replacements.
The Cowboys may have hit the jackpot to fill those positions with two early draft picks. It won’t be seamless, but the starting offensive line is starting to take shape through two preseason games.
Let’s take a look at the likely starting five in front of QB Dak Prescott when the season kicks off week 1 in Cleveland against Deshaun Watson and the Browns.
LT Tyler Guyton
Left tackle was one of the spots along the line vacated by free agency, claiming 13-year veteran Tyron Smith. The Cowboys used their first round pick on Tyler Guyton, who played primarily right tackle in college at Oklahoma.
The way he has performed this offseason in training camp plus his performances in the first two preseason games make Guyton the easy choice to start week 1 at Cleveland. For a few weeks, veteran Chuma Edoga appeared to have a stronghold on the position, but an injury has ruled him out for multiple weeks.
Previous cornerstone left tackles for the Cowboys have all started their careers on the right side of the offensive line, but Guyton is being thrown into the fire in his rookie year.
So far, so good. Guyton is currently the highest graded rookie offensive tackle from the 2024 class according to Pro Football Focus, and ranks ninth among all linemen across the NFL.
He has won several battles against Cowboys’ DE/LB Micah Parsons in training camp, and that work has shown on the game field.
LG Tyler Smith
Tyler Smith starting at left guard is a no-brainer. The only question was whether he was going to have to slide out to left tackle if Tyler Guyton couldn’t develop in time.
Smith returns to the position that earned him Pro Bowl honors after a stellar season where PFF graded him as the 11th-best guard in the NFL with an overall grade of 74.4.
The 2024 season is sure to net better results after one full season of playing left guard under his belt.
C Cooper Beebe
Another rookie that appears to have cemented his spot as a starter is C Cooper Beebe. Beebe played primarily at the guard position in college, but is transitioning to the pivot position for the Cowboys.
Brock Hoffman was taking most of the starter’s reps in training camp, and the buzz about him was at an all-time high for his career. However, Beebe closed that gap and passed him in the eyes of fans.
You don’t have to be a film buff to see that Beebe looks quicker and stronger than Hoffman. He struggled early with getting off the ball after snapping it, but those mechanics have improved over the course of training camp.
The starting center position is now Beebe’s to lose.
RG Zack Martin
There isn’t much to be said about Zack Martin that you don’t already know. He is a perennial All-Pro and Pro Bowl player, and is the heart of the offensive line.
Martin had a “down” season according to his own standards in 2023, yet is still considered the best guard in football. The only question is how much longer he can keep up the stellar play.
Maybe it will be time to hang up his cleats once he reaches more penalties than All-Pro nods.
RT Terence Steele
Terence Steele is now nearly a full two years removed from a torn ACL suffered near the end of the 2022 season.
Steele wasn’t his normal self in 2023, obviously still affected by the injury, and analysts are labeling him as the “weakest link” on the Cowboys’ offensive line. Maybe that’s a good thing.
He has looked pretty good this preseason, so if he ranks as the weakest link, it speaks volumes to what the rest of the offensive line looks like. It speaks the loudest for the two rookies who have been forced to step in and fill veteran roles.
This is the best starting five for the Cowboys, and we should all be excited to see them together on the field for the first time opening up running lanes and keeping Dak Prescott’s jersey clean.