The most maligned player coming out of the Dallas Cowboys 2017 season was offensive lineman Chaz Green, whose epic meltdown against the Atlanta Falcons was the worst moment of the year. Despite this, Green remains on the roster and apparently not at the bottom of it.
With Guard Zack Martin not reporting to OTAs yet during his contract negotiation, it has been Chaz who’s been playing in his place at right guard with the starters. Yes THAT Chaz Green, not veteran guards Joe Looney or Marcus Martin, has been getting that first-team work.
If that surprises, confuses, or disturbs you, you’re not alone.
You can’t blame the organization for wanting to get something out of Green, given that he was a third-round pick just three years ago. But his time in Dallas has been full of disappointment, both in his play and his ability to stay healthy.
Chaz is now in the final year of his rookie contract. He counts just $877k against the salary cap, which is a bargain for a versatile reserve with experience.
But not all experience is good.
Dallas clearly knows they don’t want Green as the swing tackle anymore, signing veteran free agent Cam Fleming to a $2.5 million salary to take over that role. But apparently they’re still hoping to get something out of Chaz in this final year of his deal.
Dallas has two guys with more experience at guard than Green; the aforementioned Looney and Martin. “Jumbo Joe” has been in the system for two years already, and Marcus was signed last March as a versatile guard-center option.
Giving Chaz this early work may not be an indication that team prefers him to Looney or Martin. They may be assessing him at guard to see if he has any future there before training camp begins, knowing if they really want to invest more time in him in the coming months.
But still, when you hear that Green is getting first-team reps, it’s a cause for pause.
Chaz already failed to make it at guard once, losing out to Jonathan Cooper at left guard last year. Dallas will likely go with rookie Connor Williams there this year, but perhaps Green will get some more looks if the second-round pick struggles.
Of course, Zack Martin should be back as the right guard soon. But if his contract holdout continues into training camp, maybe we’ll see even more of Chaz in the starting lineup.
Obviously, we’d love for Chaz Green to turn things around and make a positive impact on the team. But so far he’s been a blown third-round pick and had one of the ugliest individual performances in recent memory last year.
He’s still alive, though, and perhaps closer to the starting lineup than we’d have ever guessed.
How? He’s an average guard at best. He must be the nicest guy in the world. This is not based just on the ATL game. Sometimes players even good ones get in over their heads. I was more upset at the coaches for some unfathomable reason they didnt help him. I know Witt was in the game because he always was for 15 years. I cant see how that staff would continue to allow their possible franchise QB take a beating like that. But I regress. With the new FA they signed, if he makes this roster my head may explode. Bad footwork, no nastiness, not the strongest. I don’t know will 1 person give me a tiny example of upside. Please
Up until that infamous Atlanta mayhem , Chaz Green never even came remotely close to portraying such a horrific game
IDK what happened or why & didn’t see this coming either
But now with the possible explantion given that this could be to see if & what they may have in him
It also says they’re making sure they don’t waste anything worthwhile
Now,
I’d just like to compare the same thoughts & feelings I have with the CB controversy brewing with J. Lewis & A. Brown
I feel there’s a good chance Dallas, (ie. C. Richard), is seeing just what they have in Brown before handing the reigns to Lewis for good
This could be a very good trade value moves for both these scenarios or just simply depth preparations
Either way competition breeds excellence
I watched him at Florida. He was good but not what I would say special. I think Dallas saw a lot of potential and made him a 3rd round pick and cant admit they are wrong. Nothing personal I hope he goes somewhere else and balls out.
Do the Cowboys think Alexander can bring him back from the brink? There was talk that they did Chaz wrong by trying to make him train at Guard after being the swing tackle in the previous year. I remember one game, where Chaz looked like he was false starting every down, but when they actually went back to the tape he was demonstrating excellent reaction time. He was finally called for not being up on the line.
Chaz has been given ample opportunities but injuries have sidelined him (like Tapper). Even if Alexander is the Chaz-whisperer, most fans will never be able to get past the Atlanta debacle. I saw it again, on All or Nothing, and that nightmare performance left fresh scars.
Green career just received a boost from the hiring of Alexander
There’s always a reason.
We as fans always often never give player that screwed up a chance but I will. I believe Chaz already know what he has to do to redeem himself and he will do just that when he makes the team this summer.
In that respect you’re right. He should not be judged by one game. Good or bad. And he has been moved around which is not beneficial for younger players. He must be good at practice but in games way too many mental errors. Give him a lot of reps at one position in the first 2 preseason games. If not notably better than move on. Maybe a change of scenery will help.