The Cowboys found themselves without two-fifths of their preferred offensive line for Week 18’s regular-season finale. And even though the substitutes for Tyler Smith and Zack Martin filled in more than adequately in the team’s 38-10 victory to help claim the NFC East and the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, club management is optimistic that they’ll be getting the band back together for wild-card weekend.
“The line should be back full force and ready to go to start the playoffs,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told K&C Masterpiece Monday on 105.3 The Fan. “I feel really good about that, and I feel really good about Tyler being able to play against the Packers at AT&T Stadium on Sunday afternoon.”
Smith suffered a torn plantar fascia during Dallas’s Week 17 win over Detroit and missed Sunday’s game in Washington as a result. Rookie T.J. Bass filled in for Smith at left guard to close out last week’s win and got the start once again versus the Commanders after practicing in Smith’s spot all week.
“Before every game, when we’re shaking each other’s hands,” Bass explained late Sunday. “Zack says, ‘Stay ready. Make sure you’re ready. Stay ready.’ So that’s just a thing. And then all season, I’ve tried to be ready whenever my number’s called so I can get in there and there’s no dropoff.”
That’s the mentality of every O-lineman in the Cowboys locker room. But second-year man Brock Hoffman had to take over Martin’s position on very short notice, after the right guard fell ill Sunday morning.
Despite the late switch, the Commanders did not register a sack- or even a QB hit on Dak Prescott- the entire afternoon.
“That’s B.T.B.: Big-Time Brock,” Prescott said in his postgame press conference. “So proud of that guy. He’s kind of an enforcer in that group, a guy that has a lot of attitude, huge passion for this game, wears it every day- you can see it- approaches the game the right way, understanding that he’s one sickness away from playing.”
Hoffman, in fact, had filled in for Tyler Biadasz during the week’s practices when seasonal illness hit the center. Biadasz was better by gameday, but instead of returning to benchwarmer duty, Hoffman was tapped to start at right guard for Martin with only about two hours’ notice.
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“I think it was just a great performance: two young guys- college free agents- stepping up,” Jones raved Monday. “[Offensive line] Coach [Mike] Solari’s done an amazing job getting those guys prepared. Jerry and I were talking to him before the game, and he had complete confidence, not only in T.J. Bass but also Hoffman. They just stepped up and did a great job. I felt like Dak had time most of the game. It’s great to know you have those young guys coming in your organization.”
Bass and Hoffman figure to step back into their customary second-stringer roles for this Sunday’s wild-card showdown with the Packers and the rest of what the club hopes will be a long postseason run. But the live-fire experience both have gained heading into the playoffs will certainly serve them and team well, if needed.
No doubt, they’ll “stay ready.”
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