Cowboys' Terence Steele earned every penny through hard work
Dallas Cowboys right tackle Terence Steele is the latest undrafted free agent to cash in on the big bucks after signing a five-year contract extension with the team. The deal, reported by ESPN on Sunday, is worth $86.8 million with a maximum value of $91.8 million. It's a crowning moment for the player who was thrown […]
Dallas Cowboys right tackle Terence Steele is the latest undrafted free agent to cash in on the big bucks after signing a five-year contract extension with the team.
The deal, reported by ESPN on Sunday, is worth $86.8 million with a maximum value of $91.8 million. It's a crowning moment for the player who was thrown into the fire as an undrafted rookie back in 2020 and didn't look like he belonged. He struggled playing left tackle and many wondered if he'd amount to anything.
A few years later, Steele is a completely different player. He's gone from the rookie everyone couldn't wait to get off the field to the one man Zack Martin points to as the beginning of the Cowboys' running game.
"I remember in training camp last year, I was in Oxnard and Zack Martin talked about how the run game really starts with Terence Steele," Cowboys insider Michael Gehlken from Dallas Morning News said on my nightly show, A to Z Sports Dallas Primetime.
In particular, Steele sets the tone up front with those combination blocks next to Martin. The two of them have really proven they can dominate with their chemistry on the "duo concept," which depends entirely on those combination blocks and how efficiently the offensive linemen can get to the second level.
The reaction from coaches, teammates, media, and fans has been wildly positive for one thing that is clear from Steele: The dude is a hard worker.
"To see now a guy who had a torn ACL, torn MCL, and torn MPFL last December, come back and be ready for Week 1, and to win for the third straight offseason he's been in with the Cowboys, each of those offseasons he's won the strength and conditioning award," Gehlken added. "If I'm going to lose out on a guy, let me lose betting on a guy like Terence Steele. He's just a guy who enjoys the process of getting better."
A big testament to his hard work is the fact that he was ready for training camp despite such a devastating knee injury. Steele's recovery time could be compared to Adrian Peterson's epic rehab after an ACL tear in 2011. Steele might've beat him:
Perhaps Steele doesn't have the biggest name among starting NFL tackles. But his work ethic has turned him into one of the best starters you can find at the position.
The Cowboys are making the right bet here. Chances are Steele isn't done getting better and better.
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Featured image via Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
