There’s a lot of things that can be said about the 2020 Dallas Cowboys and new head coach Mike McCarthy, but having big mouths is not one of them. The best kept secret on the roster is now out in the open as word has leaked undrafted free agent Terence Steele will be starting in place of La’el Collins at right tackle against the Los Angeles Rams.
To say that there’s concern among the fan base would be putting it mildly. With Collins on the injured reserve, there was always going to be a drop in play regardless of who got the nod. But the word out of the abbreviated training camp never indicated that Steele would be the guy, certainly not in Week 1 over free agent swing tackle Cam Erving.
Here’s some of the more prominent reactions from the Dallas Twitter-sphere:
Whew, pray for Dak.
Steele is nimble with outstanding length, but his lower body stiffness and raw mechanics made for some REALLY rough college tape. He'll need to develop quickly. https://t.co/cqbKRzv0aN
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 13, 2020
Terence Steele had a pretty rough camp, if we’re being honest. I’d call it a baptism by fire, going against the likes of DeMarcus Lawrence & Aldon Smith while Tyron Smith & La’el Collins sat out.
If you’re looking for optimism, hopefully it’s that he learned a lot from it.
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) September 13, 2020
I didn't get to watch Steele at camp, so he could have made some strides in the time in between, but he was ROUGH based on what I saw from the Senior Bowl practices.
I didn't think he had a chance to make the 53, and now he's starting Week 1 for an injured La'el Collins.
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) September 13, 2020
With these glowing reviews, one can only imagine that Erving was unimpressive as he recovered from an injury that kept him sidelined through the first half of training camp.
To read more about Steele, check out this write-up from the Cowboys Wire’s off-season countdown.
[vertical-gallery id=653983][vertical-gallery id=653736][lawrence-newsletter]