The Dallas Cowboys’ recently announced in-house battle comes with extremely questionable timing
The Dallas Cowboys holding an open competition at tackle at a bad time.
If the Dallas Cowboys want to turn their 3-5-1 season around, they will need to protect quarterback Dak Prescott. So far, they haven’t been doing so well enough.
Whenever the Cowboys need to deviate from their heavy play-action game plan, things get dicey in the trenches. A large reason for it is the offensive tackle position. Left tackle Tyler Guyton and right tackle Terence Steele have struggled in pass protection dating back to last season, often requiring the coaching staff to come up with schematic answers to opponents’ pass rush.
Leading into Week 11, things have gotten bad enough that in the middle of November, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters there was an open competition at right tackle. That’s right, Steele’s job — once seemingly untouchable due to an $82.5 million contract — is up for grabs. And while I understand the decision to call for competition up front, the timing is extremely weird.
Cowboys are set to face Maxx Crosby with rotating tackles
If the competition means rotating Steele and backup Nate Thomas at right tackle, that means the Cowboys will be taking their starter in and out of the ballgame against Maxx Crosby, one of the NFL’s best edge rushers. Though I’m all for putting Steele under the spotlight and giving Thomas a chance, I’m not sure the lack of in-game continuity is a good decision here.
The Las Vegas Raiders defense might be ranked only 19th in EPA/play, but Crosby is a game-wrecker when given the chance.
Pass protection and run blocking are all about chemistry up front, and with this decision, the Cowboys will be asking Tyler Booker — the rookie who recently returned from injury — to have a different partner to his right throughout the game. The timing is questionable at best, but I understand the Cowboys might simply be concerned about sticking with Steele.
What is clear is that whoever plays at the position will need help from the scheme to deal with Crosby. Chips, sprint outs, and bootlegs will be on full display on Monday night.
Could Thomas wind up as the starter?
The man trying to take Steele’s job is second-year player and former seventh-round pick, Nate Thomas. The young player is a violent and physical blocker who already threatened to take Steele’s job in Week 4, when he briefly took over Steele’s spot on the offensive line before an injury to Guyton forced him to step up on the left side.
In three games, Thomas has shown flashes of quality blocking. In that regard, he handled Micah Parsons one-on-one at least twice against the Green Bay Packers. However, he has been far from perfect, and his hand usage has gotten him in trouble more often than even Steele.
The reason why I could expect him to win the job is all about thinking forward. Steele’s cap hit in 2026 is set to be over $18 million, and the Cowboys have publicly second-guessed their own decision to extend him in the past. In other words, finding out what they have in the younger player makes sense. We’ll see how he does if given the chance.
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Recent Dallas Cowboys injury news makes potential free agent signing a no-brainer ahead of Week 11
They should do it.
