Much can change between now and the start of the 2023 regular season but by the way things look and sound today, Terence Steele is going to be the Cowboys’ swing tackle.
Steele, 25, was given a second-round tender to stay in Dallas in 2023. The three-year veteran suffered an ACL injury late in 2022, but according to some reports, is on pace to return in time for training camp.
When talking about Steele at the owners meetings in Phoenix, Jerry Jones spoke plainly of his fourth-year tackle. “He should be the back-up tackle on both sides as we would look at it right today,” Jones said of Steele.
It was always a bit of a mystery how the various pieces would fit across the offensive line in 2023. The question is whether or not Jones’ words can be believed at this point in the offseason.
Tyler Smith blew many of his rookie expectations out of the water and excelled at both left tackle and left guard. Steele continued his run-blocking dominance at right tackle. Tyler Biadasz was a stable element in the middle while Zack Martin continued to show he’s the best in the business at right guard. Even the veteran Tyron Smith showed the old dog could still learn new tricks, playing at right tackle for the first time since his rookie season.
When Stephen Jones announced Tyron Smith would be returning for his 13th season, various options opened up to the team. Conventional wisdom said getting the five best players on the field together meant Tyron Smith would play LT, with Tyler Smith at LG, Biadasz at center, Martin at RG and Steele at RT.
Then the Cowboys expressed their desire to keep nurturing and growing Tyler Smith at left tackle. This led many to believe Tyron Smith could be the swing tackle with Steele manning the right. But Jones flipped the conversation on its head once again, this time pegging Steele for the supportive role and penciling in the two Smiths as the starting bookends.
Jerry Jones says at the NFL owners meetings that he sees Terence Steele still as a tackle and providing OT depth with Tyron and Tyler Smith. As for left guard, the draft is probably the best spot to address that need but Jones didn’t rule out using someone “from within.”
— Nick Eatman (@nickeatman) March 27, 2023
Case closed?
Not so fast. Like many of Jones’ statements, this one left room for some wiggle.
“To me, what Steele does is be a part of a three man position look when you look at the tackles,” Jones said. “That is the best that we’ve ever been fixed. We have Tyron when he’s available and we have Steele there that’s going to get his snaps. And may get a lot of snaps. And then you have your young (player) Tyler who is just outstanding and has nothing but upside ahead of him.”
It’s not normal for swing tackles to get many snaps by design. Swing tackles usually get their snaps when injuries strike the starters. Yet, perhaps Jones is indicating he just expects Tyron Smith to eventually miss time. He did sneak in the “when he’s available” caveat, after all.
What it appears to show is that Dallas places a premium on the tackle position and isn’t as concerned with getting the five best on the field if it means leaving them potentially thin on the outside.
With Connor McGovern gone to Buffalo, the Cowboys have an opening at left guard. When asked how to fill it Jones said “we could address it in the draft, we could address it from the interior with a couple of our young guys.”
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