The Cowboys have spent the first wave of free agency protecting their bottom line rather than spending big money. When the NFL draft rolls around one month from now, expect them to focus on protecting the man who takes home the biggest chunk of change.
Rebuilding the offensive line looks to be a top priority for the club, according to statements made by team owner Jerry Jones. Jones spoke with Cowboys beat reporters on Monday at the league meetings in Palm Beach, Florida.
Dallas is currently sitting on nine picks in this year’s draft. They’ll be able to address several areas of the roster with that kind of capital, but bulking up the bodyguards for quarterback Dak Prescott is going to be top of mind for the team’s brain trust when they find themselves on the clock with the 24th selection.
That is, as Jones pointed out to reporters, unless a unicorn unexpectedly falls in their lap.
Jerry Jones confirms we should expect Cowboys to go OL early in draft. Unless best-player-available wrecks it like recent years, that is.
“We’ll get one unless a Lamb or Parsons is there,” Jerry tells us. https://t.co/A2IQT0A0e1
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) March 28, 2022
The Cowboys released right tackle La’el Collins when it became apparent that two-year veteran Terence Steele would be a capable replacement. Steele will likely take a starting job alongside perennial Pro Bowlers Zack Martin at right guard and Tyron Smith at left tackle.
That leaves center and left guard.
The Cowboys have 2020 fourth-rounder Tyler Biadasz at center currently, but there are questions about whether he’s the long-term answer. Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum is far and away the best center in this year’s draft class, and he’d be an obvious upgrade. But he’s such a highly-graded prospect that it’s likely he’ll be long gone by the time the Cowboys turn in their card.
Even with left guard Connor Williams now in Miami, Connor McGovern is no sure thing to step in for him. A third-round selection in 2019, he’s shown himself to be a versatile piece up front, able to play both tackle, center, and guard. He even saw snaps in 2021 at tight end and fullback. But the 24-year-old has yet to cement a permanent place on the offensive line.
Given the good depth at the position this year, the team may have already mentally moved on from him.
The 2022 college crop has several intriguing guards. Kenyon Green of Texas A&M, Ikem Ekwonu of North Carolina State, Boston College’s Zion Johnson, and Central Michigan’s Bernhard Raimann are all thought to be top-tier talents. Sheer numbers would suggest that at least one them will still be there with the 24th pick.
There are, of course, still several veteran offensive linemen lingering in the free agents’ pool. If Dallas can swing a very team-friendly contract for one of them, it’s certainly possible they’ll bring one in as a stopgap. But Jones and McCarthy both believe that the key to building the Cowboys is drafting top college players and hoping they hit on more of them than not on relatively inexpensive rookie deals.
The team’s top man admits the Cowboys may be zeroing in on a big man as a way to help keep their $40 million man in one piece in 2022.
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