he Dallas Cowboys made some interesting comments during the NFL owner meetings last week about the state of their offensive line. It's no secret that the team has several good players at the position but how they'll line them up exactly remains unknown.

Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy talked about Terence Steele's role in 2023 and it sounded like everything's on the table for the former undrafted free agent. But interestingly, McCarthy mentioned the team is "talking about" moving Steele inside to fill the current void at guard.

That took most of Cowboys Nation by surprise and even resulted in some backlash for the team. Offensive line guru and trainer of multiple Cowboys linemen Duke Manyweather called the decision "stupid" on Twitter.

Playing Steele at guard would in turn mean that he's not the projected starter at right tackle. Instead, that would be Tyron Smith, who manned the position upon his return following Steele's season-ending injury in 2022. 

But what if the Cowboys select an offensive lineman with the 26th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft? Would that make Steele the swing tackle? Does he even have a shot at competing with Tyron Smith for the starting gig?

It's worth pointing out that Steele is coming off a significant injury. But then again, Tyron's injury history should also play a factor in the decision. Are the coaches ready to bet on him playing a full season for the first time since 2015?

Just about everything appears to be on the table for the 2023 Cowboys when it comes to their offensive line. However, reading between the lines reveals one big thing: It appears the coaching staff has made just one final decision and it pertains to Tyler Smith.

He appears to be locked in as the team's starting left tackle. 

If the conversation centered exclusively around getting the top five players in the starting lineup, then there's no question that Tyron would start at left tackle and Tyler at guard. That is the best possible combination the team could hope for assuming all players are healthy. 

But the decision isn't nearly as simple. 

The team is likely thinking about the fact that No. 77, although a future Hall of Famer, has a long injury history that should be taken into consideration. They might not be willing to switch Tyler Smith's position back and forth again.

If they're not throwing out smokescreens before the Draft and are being genuine about their intentions, it appears they won't delay Tyler's development as the Cowboys' left tackle of the future. They will even prioritize it over fielding the best "group of five." 

We can argue if that's the correct way to go about things or not but judging by their public stance, it seems like that decision is set in stone.

We'll see what the final version of the offensive line looks like when the season kicks off in September. But for now, pencil in Tyler Smith as the starting left tackle of the team. No matter what.