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Good news, bad news for Cowboys' depth issues at offensive tackle
By reidhanson,
1 day ago
The Cowboys couldn’t be happier with the development of rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton. The first round pick out of Oklahoma is every bit as advertised athletically, and his learning curve has exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations.
The Cowboys are similarly pleased with the rehabilitation of veteran right tackle, Terence Steele. The homegrown tackle is hoping to put his disappointing 2023 season behind him. Another year removed from his nasty knee injury late in 2022, Steele is looking closer to his pre-injury self.
Both accounts serve as good news for the offense since the options behind them are worrisome, to say the least. Chuma Edoga, the original starting LT in training camp, is expected to be out multiple weeks after suffering a significant toe injury. And Earl Bostick, a promising depth OT, suffered a season-ending leg injury and has been placed on IR. Dallas signed OT Cohl Cabral to compensate the loss, but he’s not seen as much more than a camp body at this point.
Depth responsibilities have fallen onto the shoulders of a pair of former fifth-round picks, Matt Waletzko and Asim Richards. While both players have shown signs of development, neither appear to be ready to fill in as an OT starter anytime soon. Before the rash of injuries, Waletzko was projected by many to miss the Cowboys’ final 53-man cut altogether. As for Richards, he has outside flex but currently looks better at the guard position.
Even with some questions still percolating regarding the play of Guyton and Steele, the falloff from the starters to the back-ups appears to be extremely significant. So much so, Mike McCarthy will likely have to change the offensive design if either starter goes down.
With Waletzko playing RT against the Raiders staters last week, Dallas seemed to actively avoid plays which required Cooper Rush to be in the pocket very long. Three-step drops and quick read plays dominated the play-calling. It’s certainly a situation the Cowboys want to avoid because it bleeds into so many other areas of the offense.
Some have suggested the Cowboys could trade for a veteran or scour the waiver wire after final cuts are made but it’s unlikely either avenue would offer anything much better than what Richards and Waletzko offer. For as unready as the pair looks today, they are progressing as prospects so it’s fair to say part of the good news lies in their upside. As long as both starters can stay healthy through the first portion of the season, the Cowboys won’t have to throw Richards or Waletzko into the fire.
The good news is Guyton and Steele have a relatively healthy injury history. Obviously, Steele lost time from the aforementioned knee injury late in 2022, but even then, he only missed a total of four regular season games. He bounced back in record time and played all 17 games in 2023. That knee injury is the only blemish on his four-year record in Dallas.
As a rookie Guyton doesn’t have the professional track record to reference that Steele does but based on his college scouting reports, he only had one undisclosed injury on his record, playing in all but one game. In the preseason Guyton missed practice time from an illness but was immediately tossed back into action when Edoga suddenly went down against the Rams. It speaks to his ability to rebound and perform under less-than-ideal circumstances.
Both Steele and Guyton appear to be durable players capable of physically holding up throughout the season. The Cowboys will need that because the depth pieces behind them aren’t ready.
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