There’s no denying the Dallas Cowboys offensive line isn’t what it once was. Building it back up is going to take a some work, and given the needs on the defensive side of the ball, the resources are better spent elsewhere.
Luckily for the Cowboys, it appears they’ve found at least one piece going forward in rookie center Tyler Biadasz from Wisconsin.
It was clear that he was the best option in Dallas once he stepped foot on the field to replace Joe Looney. Unfortunately the coaches didn’t see it way for the stretch run as he didn’t play the last four weeks he was available. Still, despite meaningful snaps in only six games, he was named to Pro Football Focus’s All-Rookie offensive line.
PFF's All-Rookie OL đź’Ş pic.twitter.com/uEUnab6XE6
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 4, 2021
The competition wasn’t necessarily steep, but it’s still noteworthy that Biadasz nabbed the honor over a player with both a higher pedigree and snap count in Denver Broncos Center Lloyd Cushenberry, who didn’t miss a single play all year and was drafted a round earlier.
Only two rookie centers played more than 200 offensive snaps this season — Lloyd Cushenberry III at 1,076 and Biadasz at 427. Among 37 qualifying centers, Cushenberry’s 40.5 PFF grade ranked dead last. It’s hard to put a player with that kind of performance on the all-rookie team, which leaves Biadasz as the default selection.
Granted, Biadasz didn’t dominate by any means, either. His PFF grade of 53.6 at center this season ranked 33rd among those same 37 qualifying centers, but he did edge out teammate Joe Looney (53.1) on a Dallas offensive line that was interchanging parts all season. The Cowboys will hope some stability brings better results in 2021.
In a lost year, this is the kind of bright spot that a team who sorely needs them is looking for. A young and inexperienced Cowboys offensive line took its lumps this year, positioning them to provide, at the very least, solid depth moving forward.
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