As we inch near the start of the 2024 season, I think the Cowboys have plenty to be upbeat about even with all the contract problems going on with CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, and Dak Prescott.
One of those things to be positive about is how good this offensive line can be this season.
Pro Football Focus thinks the Cowboys have the best starting guard duo in all of football.
Last week Pro Football Focus released their rankings of the best guards in the game right now. The Dallas Cowboys were the team with two in the top ten.
Tyler Smith
Tyler Smith was slotted in at No. 4 on their list. Not a shock, after being drafted in 2022, Smith played the entire season at left tackle, but the best thing to happen for Dallas is that they tried him at left guard in 2023.
Smith earned a 72.9 PFF grade from PFF and second-team All-Pro in just his second year a season ago. The Cowboys did it again; they found maybe the next great offensive lineman for years to come.
His 2.8% allowed pressure rate ranked fifth among all guards, and he allowed only 17 quarterback pressures all season.
“I’m definitely excited knowing where I’m going to be at and what I need to improve on,” Smith said this summer. “Obviously, we have to stay ready. That’s part of our mantra, five as one. If anything happens, everybody has to step up. I’m excited to work at that spot and continue to get better.”
I was not sure what to think about Tyler Smith when the Cowboys made the pick in 2022, but thus far he has been an absolute stud.
Zack Martin
This goes without question, the future Hall of Famer was ranked No. 7.
The model of consistency, after earning 80.9-plus PFF overall grades for the past eight years, finally slid down to a 73 in 2022 and a 69 in 2023.
So although his Pro Football Focus grade has slipped a bit, he still has more Pro Bowls than holding calls in his NFL career.
Martin is unclear about his future but has called the drama “overblown,” but the Cowboys do have to start planning for his exit if it comes soon.
2024 is the last year of his current contract and although he stays on the field, maybe they go another route like they did with Tyron Smith.
2024 Season
Martin still gives the Cowboys top offensive lineman play, so I am not worried about him this season.
This offensive line I think will be better than people think. They have Smith and Martin, drafted Tyler Guyton, and Cooper Beebe who was the steal of the draft to play center.
If Zack Martin and Tyler Smith stay on the field all season, this offensive line might actually be one of the better ones in all of football. Right now I would probably slot them as the 13th-best line in football, right outside the top 10.
If they get early production from Guyton and Beebe, they could easily make their way inside the top 10 midway through the season.
They will have to block for a running back by committee though, which makes me nervous. They don’t have a guy to ride when the game gets tight, it will be more like ride the hot hand.
Let’s see how the rest of the summer goes. Training camp starts in late July, so hopefully by then CeeDee Lamb will be signed and everyone will be in the building.
This a big year for a lot of players/coaches on this team. They need everyone in and ready to go and can’t afford to miss any time for lazy contract stuff.