There is a five-year starter on the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line who shouldn’t approach the 2025 season with any high level of comfort.
After the 2022 season ended, Terence Steele missed the final four games with a serious leg injury. Despite that fact, the Cowboys signed him to a five-year, $86.8 million contract extension prior to the 2023 season.
To say they haven’t gotten their money’s worth would be an understatement.
Over the past two seasons, Steele has been the weak link on the offensive line. That’s saying something considering the Cowboys started two rookies on the line last year.
Steele has been flagged 14 times over the last two seasons combined.
In his first three, he drew 17 combined.
Even worse than the mistakes that have cost Dallas penalty yardage, and disrupted drives, is his run blocking and pass protection.
To be fair to Steele, he tore both the ACL and the MCL in his left knee in 2022. Its to his credit, and advances in medical science, that he was able to return to the field at all.
But it is clear he isn’t the same player the Cowboys signed as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech in 2022.
Roster Review 2025: Terence Steele. This is Part 19 of a series. Click here for a list of all related articles.
Outlook For 2025
Unless Steele returns to his pre-injury form, or better yet, improves beyond even that, he should become a very expensive backup.
The Cowboys have several young players, many of whom showed what they are capable of last year when injuries forced Mike McCarthy to start them.
If Steele somehow holds on to his starting job, he needs to cut down the penalties. He also needs to cut down on the missed assignments in both the running and passing attacks.
In short, he needs to channel some of Brock Hoffman’s energy and approach to line play.
Most of his shortcomings can be attributed to not being the same player post-injury. That’s just a natural fact.
No one comes back from a leg injury better than they were before the injury occurred.
Steele’s best hope for the upcoming season will be having Klayton Adams as his new offensive coordinator and Conor Riley as the line coach.
These two coaches’ approach to the game will benefit all the offensive linemen. It may be what salvages Steele’s season, and his career in a Cowboys’ uniform.
Long-Term Outlook
The contract extension he signed runs through the 2028 season, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2029.
The good news is that the Cowboys have an option to get out of the contract after the end of this season.
In 2025, Steele will earn a little over $18 million. If he’s cut in 2026, his dead cap hit would be under $9.4 million.
Steele would still count as a $5.25 million hit in 2027 and a $1.125 million hit in 2028.
But those numbers are far less of an impact than his salaries of $18 million, $21 million, and just under $19 million if he remains on the roster all three of those seasons.
If Steele doesn’t turn it around this year, or if he loses his starting job at some point, the Cowboys all but have to cut him.
Frankly, it was another foolhardy decision by this front office to give an injured player an extension before seeing if they would return to form or not.
It has proven to be a costly, and incorrect, move. Just like it was when they made the same decision regarding Michael Gallup.
Like it or not, the NFL is a cutthroat business.
Making decisions based on feelings, or hope, instead of harsh reality is unwise. Its why the Cowboys seemingly never have the money to be serious players in free agency.
Unfortunately for Steele, he is simply the latest poster child for Dallas’ long-term mismanagement.