Two of the Dallas Cowboys’ biggest questions entering the 2025 season will come in the form of what type of production they are going to get from both sides of the ball.
If you have been following the offseason, two keys to success for this team is going to be the play they get from both the offensive line and defensive line.
Both of them have new names, mostly on the youngest side, but it poses the question, which one of these two units is going to be the bigger concern for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 season?
Check out my thoughts below. You may not agree with me, but that is okay. These are mine, just drop yours in the comments. No need to call me an idiot like some of our readers do.
Offensive Line
Dallas opened the offseason by signing Robert Jones and later selected Tyler Booker in the first round of the draft, indicating that improving the offensive line was a priority for the team.
The most likely outcome along the offensive line is a group featuring Tyler Guyton at left tackle, Booker at left guard, Cooper Beebe at center, Tyler Smith at right guard, and Terrence Steele at right tackle.
Dallas will need significant growth from both Guyton and Beebe next season to remain consistent along the offensive line. Booker’s quick transition in his rookie season in the NFL will also be crucial.
The problem is the holding penalties. If these young guys, the big one being Guyton, can’t get these under control, they might have an uphill battle.
Defensive Line
I will be honest with you, the way that the defensive line came together over the summer was not half bad.
Of course they still have to prove to all over us that they can stop the run! Mazi Smith has been an issue for two years, and if he does not take a third year leap, that might leave another huge issue in the middle of the line.
Dallas gave up 2,331 rushing yards (28th in the NFL), allowed 25 rushing touchdowns (worst in the league), and surrendered 4.8 yards per carry (tied for 29th).
They finished 31st in Expected Points Added (EPA) against the run, a damning stat that doesn’t simply measure yardage.
Now, Matt Eberflus takes over the defense with Micah Parsons, Dante Fowler returns, OSA and others. He did not work out as a head coach in Chicago, and, being a Cowboys fan from Illinois, all my close buddies who are Bears fans have told me that he is a good defensive coach, just a bad head coach.
If I had to pick a side of the ball I’m more concerned about if the Cowboys had a game tomorrow, it would probably be the offensive line simply because one side has Micah Parsons and the other does not.
Those stats on the D-Line are bad to say the least. The puzzling thing is WHY did they wait to the seventh round to pick two DTs. To be honest I was unfamiliar with the kid from Maryland and don’t have high hopes there, so Toia better be a “late round gem”. There were some highly touted run stoppers in the draft this year and they just passed on them. When you look at the O-Line there is a lot the youth there, which could be good or bad. They may need time to jell together. You win in the trenches, so there are questions that gives one to pause.
First things first…. Tyler Smith plays left guard and Tyler Booker will be taking over for Zach Martin at right guard!! The next thing is you can’t say you feel better about the defense just because it has Micah Parsons!! The same thing can be said about the offensive side cause Tyler Smith is just as dependable, if not more dependable than Parsons!! But with that being said, I still agree with you that the offensive line is the bigger concern!! Like I said, we have Tyler Smith and he’s definitely dependable, he’s one of the best guards in the NFL right now, so he’s not a problem, and I am comfortable with Cooper Beebe at center, and I feel like Tyler Booker will be good, but I still worry about the most important spot on the line, and that’s left tackle!! Tyler Guyton should improve in year 2 and he’s been doing what it takes in the off season to show that he’s taking it more seriously, and he’s even been training with Tyron Smith, but he still has to show it on game days!! And Steele hasn’t been too good 6 lately either, and those are the 2 biggest spots on the line that needs good players, and I’m not sure we have them yet!! Steele did improve towards the end of last season, but he has to keep it going to start this season and through the rest of the season!! So until that happens, I think the offensive line is the biggest concern!! The reason I didn’t pick the defensive line is because we are loaded at edge rusher and I think Mazi Smith will be a lot better this season!! He gets to keep the weight he played at last season, which will be big for him since he had to lose weight his rookie year and then gain it back his 2nd year, and that’s a lot to deal with for a young player just going into the NFL, plus he’s had 2 different defensive coordinators in those first 2 years too, so he went through a lot and that’s why he had so much trouble getting going!! But this year, even though he has a another new defensive coordinator, at least he gets to keep his weight up and play with the same weight for the 2nd year in a row!! Plus Eberflus is good at getting his DTs to stop the run, so I really think Mazi will break out this year!! And then we have Jay Toia, and even though he’s a rookie, he is pretty good, and all he’s known for is stopping the run, so I think he’ll make a big difference!! But with those players and all the depth at edge rusher, I think the defense will be really good this year!! And that’s why I chose the offensive line as the biggest concern!! But if I’m being honest, I think our offensive line will be fine too!! I just think that if I had to worry about one or the other, the offensive line is the one to worry about more if that makes sense!!