Call it unrealistic expectations or just good old-fashioned impatience, but the time for former draft picks Josh Ball and Matt Waletzko to step up their game is now. After a boatload of offseason hype, both players have largely underwhelmed in camp, causing concern on the Cowboys offensive line.
On Saturday, the two lined up side-be-side in the starting lineup for the club’s 28-23 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the exhibition opener. Each played exactly 50% of the team’s offensive snaps, 36 to be exact.
Both Ball, a fourth-round pick from 2021, and Waletzko, a fifth-round pick from 2022, came to Dallas with some buzz about them.
They experienced rocky seasons in 2022 but were expected to rebound significantly in 2023. They were frequently mentioned throughout the offseason by Cowboys coaches and executives as players to watch and cited as reasons why more wasn’t done to address the offensive line.
As former mid-round draft picks, they come with certain expectations. They each had high-ceiling skillsets and impressive physical traits to work with. They just have to put it together. Given the current state of the Cowboys offensive line, that time needs to be now.
Dallas’ offensive line situation has been a growing concern in camp. All-Pro guard Zack Martin has been sitting out all summer in a contract dispute while Terence Steele is working his way back from a significant knee injury.
Tyler Biadasz has missed time at center and the Cowboys primary free agent acquisition, Chuma Edoga, recently went down in a scary moment which required him to be carted off the field.
The depth of the line is truly being tested and the Cowboys desperately need their two pedigreed linemen to rise to the occasion.
The Cowboys don’t intend to use their remaining starters much (if at all) in preseason games so opportunities for down-roster players will be plenty. Dallas requires viable options down the ranks should the injury bug attack their offensive line again in 2023.
The Cowboys need to find viable options on their roster and Waletzko and Ball are the best equipped to be those options. It’s time to start fulfilling the potential because concerns are growing, and the offensive line could potentially sink this extremely explosive offense.
Expectations are still Martin and the Cowboys will settle their differences and he’ll be back by Week 1, but that’s not as automatic as it once seemed.
Regardless of Martin, the Cowboys need at least three viable options down the ranks and the progression of Waletzko and Ball is probably their best chance at achieving that.
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