Cowboys starter in a good spot despite major misfortune
Cowboys’ right tackle Terence Steele is progressing nicely in his recovery from a torn ACL and MCL
The Dallas Cowboys were hit with a major setback at the tail end of the 2022 season.
Starting right tackle Terence Steele suffered a torn ACL and MCL during the Cowboys' Week 14 win against the Houston Texans. The Cowboys would play musical chairs with veterans Tyron Smith and Jason Peters to make up for the loss for Steele until the end of the year.
Earlier this week, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said that Steele is ahead of schedule in the rehab process while attending the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Jones went into detail about where Steele is in his recovery as well.
“He’s doing unbelievable with his rehab," said Jones. "He’s done as well as anybody that we’ve ever had in terms of his rehab and his diligence. We don’t expect any hiccups there.”
Steele, along with running back Tony Pollard who broke his leg in the Cowboys' playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, is expected to be ready when training camp commences in July.
Steele had a rough start to his Cowboys career.
He took over starting duties for former right tackle La'el Collins in 2020 after he had season-ending hip surgery, and he struggled for most of the season. There was some hope for his development after he started to gain his footing by the season's end, but he was still a huge question mark.
Steele made seven straight starts at right tackle in 2021 from Weeks 2 to 8 and remained the starter even after Collins came back from a suspension. Also, Steele started three games at left tackle for the aforementioned Smith while he was injured.
During this time, Steele showed he was far beyond an undrafted rookie prospect, and once the 2022 season came about, he was the clear choice for the Cowboys' starting right tackle.
It's not about where any player is drafted, or even if they're not. All that matters is once they get the chance to play, they take advantage of it, and Steele has done that.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports