Two things can be true at once: Brian Schottenheimer is clearly committed to rebuilding the trenches, and the trenches still need rebuilding. In short, the 2025 Dallas Cowboys odds are reliant on a pair of questionable units.
The moves made by the organization have clouded the expectations of some fans.
Yes, Dallas drafted Tyler Booker 12th overall, and he will make a strong impact, but they also lost Zack Martin to retirement. Yes, they paid Osa Odighizuwa and invested in the pass rush, but how proven is that unit?
On the offensive line, four out of five guys are either too young or too inconsistent to feel completely comfortable with.
Defensively, Micah Parsons is the only All-Pro caliber talent, and the defensive tackle room has plagued Dallas for years upon years.
We can be excited about new faces and a new culture, while also asking if the Cowboys odds are hindered by inexperience, a lack of depth, and unproven players in the trenches. It’s far too big a question to ignore.
The Offensive Line: High-Risk, High-Reward
Tyler Smith and Terence Steele are the only starting members of the Cowboys’ offensive line who have more than two years of NFL experience. This group is as young as it gets.
Steele, the highest-paid lineman in Dallas, is still battling through performance questions after an up-and-down 2024.
Booker, Beebe, and Guyton, the three youngest members of the unit, control its destiny. Without a step forward from their left tackle, continued development from the center, and a big rookie season at left guard, Dak Prescott will be under duress.
Starting #DallasCowboys offensive line in the season finale
Tyler Guyton
Tyler Smith
Cooper Beebe
Brock Hoffman
Terence Steele pic.twitter.com/7q7DsdrFGN— Tommy Yarrish (@tommy_yarrish) January 5, 2025
The Cowboys odds as a whole might fall on those three players alone.
It is a high-risk, high-reward strategy, as their collective inexperience could cause problems, but their ceiling remains as high as can be.
The Defensive Line: Are Parsons’ Supplements Enough?
Everybody knows Micah Parsons is the top dog on the defensive line; the way the Cowboys surround him is what matters.
It seems they have found their strategy for doing so, and they are sticking by it.
Dallas has one borderline Pro Bowler with a big salary beside him, selects pass-rushers high in the draft to add to the depth, and occasionally will throw money at low-cost free agents.
https://twitter.com/SleeperCowboys/status/1922460637818487085
This was done in years past with DeMarcus Lawrence, draftees Marshawn Kneeland, Mazi Smith, and Sam Williams, and now it’s Osa Odighizuwa and Donovan Ezeiruaku.
The front office also added guys like Dante Fowler, Payton Turner, Solomon Thomas, and Jay Toia to the room.
Is that strategy enough? It hasn’t been in years past, but the actual talent in the room now is better than what fans may be used to. It could finally be the year that this defensive line reaches its potential.
The Bottom Line: Questions Must Be Answered
The unfortunate truth for the Dallas Cowboys odds is that question marks pop up everywhere, and especially in the trenches.
Too young? Too low-cost? We simply won’t know until they get on the field.
What we do know is that there have been legitimate investments on both lines, like the selection of Booker and the commitment to Odighizuwa. You can respect the newfound attention to those areas, while also admitting it is far from a finished, Philly-esque product.
Specific players like Steele, Smith, and Williams have jobs to fight for, while Guyton is aiming to prove early “bust” allegations wrong.
There are just so, so many questions that come with this area of the roster; it is hard to envision growing pains not holding them back. If Schottenheimer can coach these guys above them, then they’ll really be cooking with gas.
