The Cowboys are placing a second-round tender worth $4.3 million on right tackle Terence Steele.
Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News first reported the development Saturday, citing a person familiar with the team’s decision.
The 25-year-old came to Dallas as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech in 2020. The next season, he stepped in to replace La’el Collins during his suspension and stayed there even after Collins was eligible to return, sliding to left tackle only to fill in for an injured Tyron Smith. He’s been an every-game staple at right tackle ever since (prompting the release of Collins), but Steele was then lost in Week 14 of the 2022 season to a torn ACL.
Steele, reportedly “ahead of schedule” in his rehab, is a restricted free agent this offseason.
Cowboys are placing the second-round tender on restricted free agent Terence Steele, a person familiar with decision said today. The right tackle is ahead of schedule in his return from ACL surgery.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 4, 2023
With a second-round tender, other teams have the right to reach contract terms with Steele by April 21. The Cowboys, however, retain the right to match that offer in order to keep him in-house. If they choose to let Steele go (to a club that offers him a ridiculous deal), the Cowboys would receive a second-round draft pick as compensation.
Cowboys Wire’s Reid Hanson laid out the nuts and bolts behind this strategy earlier this week.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[mm-video type=video id=01gtma4ffh0r6pcpxbxp playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gtma4ffh0r6pcpxbxp/01gtma4ffh0r6pcpxbxp-a21135627d608f92e426940d2d82a59f.jpg]