Following the conference championships this past weekend, the four teams participating had one common denominator.
They all had strong offensive lines and excelled in both the run game and pass protection this season.
The Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions both lost, but advancing to that point in the playoffs is a testament to their style of play.
Conference champions San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are both successful in their rushing attacks in their own unique ways.
I say this to bring light to the fact that the Dallas Cowboys did not have an effective enough running game to advance in the playoffs.
Dallas did have a strong offensive line this season, highlighted by All-Pro nods to LT Tyron Smith, LG Tyler Smith, and RG Zack Martin.
However, when Dallas needed to run the ball the most, they weren’t able to do so.
Attempting yet failing to establish the run versus the 28th-ranked Green Bay Packers rush defense got the Cowboys in a 27-0 hole before we knew what was happening.
Be that as it may, we are here today to continue my series of grading the Cowboys players by position group.
It’s time to grade the offensive line, and it will be broken up into two articles, starting with the tackles today.
Last week we covered the quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers.
All stats are courtesy of Pro Football Focus Premium, and players who did not play at least 10 games are excluded from the NFL ranks.
Offensive Tackles
Dallas was very fortunate to have their starting tackles healthy for most of the season.
The starters got the bulk of the snaps, and those two will be who we analyze today.
Tyron Smith
PFF Overall (NFL Rank): 83.7 (4th)
PFF Run Blocking (NFL Rank): 68.4 (30th)
PFF Pass Blocking (NFL Rank): 89.3 (1st)
After missing 33 games in the past few seasons, it appears the Cowboys finally figured out how to manage Tyron Smith’s body.
No practice at all!
Dallas employed that strategy this season and it did wonders for the 33-year-old Smith, leading to his first All-Pro selection since 2015.
Coincidentally, that was also the last time Smith played all of the available games of the regular season.
Smith left much to be desired in the run-blocking department, ranking 30th out of qualified players this year.
However, he finished first with his league-leading 89.3 pass-blocking grade, a stat which boosted his 4th-ranked overall grade.
Grade: A-
The only thing keeping me from giving Smith an A+ is his struggles in run blocking this season.
His 33-year-old body can’t pull outside or get to the second level as effectively as he used to.
Smith’s contract with the Cowboys is expired, and the team has to be excited to offer him another incentive-laden deal if they get an All-Pro season in return.
Terence Steele
PFF Overall (NFL Rank): 52.3 (69th)
PFF Run Blocking (NFL Rank): 56.5 (56th)
PFF Pass Blocking (NFL Rank): 48.9 (69th)
If anyone in the Cowboys’ front office bothers to check PFF, they would be disgusted with Terence Steele’s grades this season.
Approximately a week before the season started, the team was so impressed by his rehab from a torn ACL in October of 2022 that they awarded him a new contract.
Steele didn’t make good on his new 5-year/$86.8mil contract, instead showing how dangerous it is to sign players coming off of major injuries.
It appears the Cowboys made the same mistake with Michael Gallup, but that’s a story for another article.
Grade: D+
I understand Steele was coming off of knee surgery, but with the contract he signed, there needed to be more done on his part to help the team.
The Cowboys were in a win-now situation, and at times it appeared the Cowboys would be better off at right tackle with one of the rookies.
Dallas will be sure to address the offensive line in the upcoming draft and don’t be surprised to see them use a premium pick on a tackle.