I’m so over Terence Steele and having the same conversation about him.
He plays well enough for stretches that we’re supposed to feel better about right tackle. Then a mistake wipes out a play Dallas desperately needed, and we go back to wondering how much longer will this continue.
Against Baltimore, Steele helped ruin a scoring opportunity with a holding penalty and a missed field-goal assignment two snaps later. In a 34-31 loss, that’s a heck of a lot to overlook because his protection was decent.
The coaches deserved a lot of the criticism, but Steele deserves his own.
Terence Steele erased a Crucial First Down
Dallas trailed 17-13 in the third quarter when Dak Prescott found George Pickens for 20 yards on third and nine, which would have put the Cowboys at Baltimore’s 24 with a fresh set of downs.
Steele’s holding penalty left them facing third and 19 at their own 46. Putting Dallas 30 yards behind where the completion would have placed them.
Calling that a 10-yard penalty doesn’t come close to describing what it cost the offense. Prescott and Pickens converted the down. Dallas was in position to keep driving for the lead, and Steele’s hold took the first down away.
I just can’t get past it. A veteran tackle has to be somebody you can count on during a possession. Instead, his flag became the reason the Cowboys needed another third-down completion just to get back what they lost.
Prescott hit Pickens again on the next play for a 13-yard gain. This brought Brandon Aubrey out for a 59-yard attempt.
Then guess who failed to block. Terence Steele. Keondra Jackson went around Steele unblocked and blocked the kick. As soon as I saw the block, I knew who let the Raven through.
Aubrey is pretty much automatic from that distance, but didn’t get the chance thanks to Steele.
Baltimore took over and drove for a touchdown to extend its lead to 24-13. Dallas’ defense should own that failure, but Steele was the cause of the wasted offensive possession.
His Pass Protection Doesn’t Excuse the Mistakes
Steele was charged with one hurry, zero sacks, and one quarterback hit against Baltimore. Across his 73 offensive snaps, he earned a 67.5 offensive grade, a 69.3 run-blocking grade, and a 60.3 pass-blocking grade.
I was surprised to find out this was his highest graded game through three this season.
I found out special teams was a different story. He earned a 28.1 grade from five snaps on the kicking unit. That’s why pointing to offensive grade doesn’t hold much weight for me. The mental mistakes are what doomed this team.
Make Steele Compete for Right Tackle
Dallas needs to give its other options at right tackle a serious look in practice. Let Broderick Jones take those reps and see what he does. Because I don’t know that he could do any worse and if he does, at least he has inexperience to blame.
I don’t really care how familiar Steele is with the offense or how long he’s held the position. Sunday left Dallas explaining another lost scoring opportunity, and two of the mistakes on one drive belong to him.
Terence Steele has a 56.1 offensive grade through three games this season. I say it is well past time to give another tackle some first-team reps. I’m tired of the Cowboys treating him like his job is safe.
A change at right tackle has been years in the making and after last night I believe a change is well past due. Other than the game against the Ravens, Terence Steele has been below average.
Another right tackle could bring this team back from the dead and actually block someone.
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