Tag: Chuma Edoga

Have the Cowboys finally learned their lesson on the offensive line?

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Will Dallas finally learn their lesson on the offensive line, asks @ReidDHanson

It was late December. The Cowboys were on their final push for the playoffs and on track to post yet another 12-win season. Injuries and depth issues put Dallas in a precarious position at OT. One starting tackle was rushed back from injury and clearly not playing up to his previous standard, while the other tackle position was manned by a player who probably should have been playing guard.

Coming off a game in which Terence Steele and Chuma Edoga accounted for nine pressures, five hurries, three hits and a sack, it’s understandable if it seems the situation above is describing the current state of affairs in Dallas. But it’s actually the 2022 season being described, illustrating the same predictable issues continue to plague the Cowboys year after year.

It was Spanish philosopher George Santayana who famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Because lessons that aren’t remembered, aren’t really lessons at all. The Cowboys appeared to learn a lesson the hard way in 2022. Issues on the offensive line caused their running game and pass protection to crater late in the season, ultimately dooming them in the playoffs.

It was a lesson they should have remembered as they entered the 2023 offseason. Tyron Smith was averaging just 5.6 games per season over the previous three seasons. Steele was recovering from a catastrophic knee injury, likely impacting his already suspect pass-protection ability in 2023. Tyler Biadasz was a year away from free agency and Zack Martin reached a point in which he could retire at any time. Even after keeping Smith another season and committing to Steele long-term, the need on the offensive line was apparent.

Whether it was an OG or OT depended on how the Cowboys viewed Tyler Smith. If he was still seen as the future LT in Dallas, then they needed to find a starting quality OG. If he was seen as dominant OG in the making, they need a starting quality OT. Regardless of specifics, they needed a starting quality player added to the mix because the chances were strong, they’d be leaning on that player at some point in the season and certainly need them long-term down the road.

In the 2022 NFL draft they clearly had it in mind. They came ever so close to making Matthew Bergeron their top pick instead of Mazi Smith. Seen primarily as a high-end OG prospect, Bergeron signaled the Cowboys still saw Tyler Smith as future LT. It also would have kept Tyler Smith cross-trained and ready to replace Tyron Smith when his inevitable absence arose.

The Cowboys again had a chance at drafting a starting-level offensive linemen in the second round with O’Cyrus Torrence. Torrence has logged 1,016 snaps for Buffalo this season and ranks fifth amongst his draft class in PFF grade. Bergeron has played 1,007 snaps and ranks third. Both players have proven to be immediate viable options.

Even with Tyron Smith’s sudden resurgence (has played 11 of 15 games in 2023), either player would have a significant impact on the Cowboys this season, given two of Smith’s missed games resulted in loses and featured some fairly abhorrent play at LT. Given offensive linemen tend to develop slowly, it would also set the Cowboys up better for 2024 when Tyron Smith and Zack Martin’s future in the league may fall into doubt.

But instead of truly investing in the offensive line, the Cowboys decided to tread water and kick the can on the offensive line. They added the aforementioned Edoga, hoping to tap something in the veteran his two teams before Dallas never could. And they drafted Asim Richards, hoping one of their many Day 3 picks on the offensive line over the years would finally bear fruit.

Cowboys seem to have overestimated their ability to replace Tyron Smith at LT and simultaneously underestimated the impact Steele’s knee injury.

Looking at all the offensive linemen across the league, Steele has allowed the third most pressures in 2023. The Cowboys can give him frequent help in his assignments but only if everyone else is playing at peak. But when Tyron Smith misses time, his replacement, who’s even more pressure-prone than Steele, needs all the help he can get. It’s a recipe for disaster the Cowboys should have seen coming.

Will the Cowboys finally learn from this pain and act on it like they should have last offseason? That’s a question to be revisited in the 2024 offseason.

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Special rules for special players: Why the Cowboys are right to pamper Tyron Smith

It’s not about developing Tyron Smith; it’s about preserving him, and Smith has shown the Cowboys he can walk right into gameday a perform. | From @ReidDHanson.

The Cowboys knew 2023 was going to be an adventure of sorts when they brought 32-year-old Tyron Smith back for another run at the Lombardi. Smith had only played a combined 17 regular season games over the last three seasons, and the last time he logged a full-16, Dak Prescott was still throwing passes at Mississippi State.

Smith’s availability issues resulted in a restructured contract over the offseason. Both sides of the table recognized the situation and worked to resolve it in order for the former All-Pro to stay in Dallas another season. Now at the midpoint of the season, the Cowboys and Smith find themselves back at the table, so to speak, to work out a new solution for their trodden left tackle.

Talking to reporters this week, Mike McCarthy floated the idea the Cowboys may be holding Smith from practices going forward. He indicated special accommodations may be in order for his veteran standout.

The problem hasn’t been Smith’s level of play slipping, it’s been his availability. When he’s been well enough to compete, Smith has generally been a great NFL tackle. Even a bumped, bruised and aged, Smith has been better than what most teams are fielding.

But his health status has been so volatile week to week, the Cowboys almost needed to roster six starting-quality linemen on the team, because whoever was playing OL6 is sure to get starter-level snaps. Look no further than this season where Chuma Edoga, Dallas’ OL6, has 312 snaps already. That’s just two snaps shy of Smith’s season total of 314.

If the Cowboys can preserve Smith by forging practices from here on out, why not make special accommodations for the veteran? The idea of putting him on ice for six days and thawing him out for gameday may not sit well with everyone, but it’s a simple solution to a problem that’s been plaguing them for years.

That’s not to say practices aren’t important. They help the offensive line grow as a unit and they help the unit deal with items such as blocking handoffs against various stunts and blitzes. Missing practice isn’t nothing.

At the same time this needs to be seen as a special circumstance. It’s not about developing Smith – it’s about preserving Smith. And Smith has shown he can walk right into gameday and perform with the best of them.

After suffering a stinger two weeks ago, Smith missed nearly every practice and a game. He barely got on the field in the leadup to the Eagles game. When he did take the field beforehand, he was just going through the motions. But when the ball was kicked off, Smith was honed in, arguably posting his best game of the season.

How good is Smith?

Timo Riske at PFF broke down OL play this season. As an illustration that all blocking assignments are not created equal, he charted the difficulty of assignments and execution of those said assignments.

Smith was not only drawing some of the most difficult assignments in the entire NFL, but he was performing better than just about anyone in his execution.

The Cowboys routinely leave their star LT on an island, demanding he perform against some of the best pass-rushers in the league. And Smith hasn’t just handled it, he’s dominated.

While his run blocking appears to have slipped in the later years, his pass protection is still at unbelievable levels. He’s been nursing various injuries all season and has still found a way to grade as top-10 OT taking on abnormally difficult assignments.

If anything, Jerry Jones should hire a team of people to carry Smith on and off the field each week just to save the unnecessary wear and tear on his all-important tires.

Most are in agreement: if cutting out practice preserves Smith for games, then by all means cut practice. But what most don’t seem to see is that Smith has been getting by with little-to-no practice already and has been preforming at unbelievably high levels.

As long as Smith plays games, the Cowboys are going to be fine.

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Cowboys update Tyron Smith’s Week 9 prognosis after late scratch vs Rams

From @ToddBrock24f7: Dallas was down to a 3rd-string LT in Week 8 after Tyron Smith was held out and Chuma Edoga got hurt. But the team is optimistic for Sunday.

It’s been said that, apart from quarterback, left tackle is the most important position on a football team. You can scheme your way around almost any other deficiency in the lineup, but if you want to have success, you’d better have an answer at left tackle.

Coming off a dominating 43-20 win and looking ahead at a massive divisional showdown, though, the Cowboys have far more questions than answers at Tyron Smith’s usual spot.

The eight-time Pro Bowler was in street clothes for Sunday’s game versus the Rams after suffering a neck stinger earlier in the week. Despite trending toward making the start, Smith found himself a very late scratch for the second time this season.

“Actually, we all thought Tyron was going to go, until the last second. Probably the better part of valor was to not play him today,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the media at AT&T Stadium following the team’s 43-20 win.

Just as in the Week 3 switcheroo that saw Smith even named a team captain before being declared out during pregame warmups, the 32-year-old seemed ready to take the field right up until the last moment.

“Tyron was suited up- I mean, he was one of the first guys here today,” Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters in his postgame press conference “So he was ready to go. But going through the examination, the medical staff decided that he was not ready.”

Backup Chuma Edoga got the start instead and got off to a very rocky start, letting L.A. defensive end Michael Hoecht blow past him to sack Dak Prescott on the first play from scrimmage.

But Edoga himself was injured late in the game and had to be carted off the field. Early indications are that he has a low ankle sprain; he may not miss much time- if any at all- though the results of further testing will likely lend clarity.

That left fifth-round rookie Asim Richards to come on in relief in the fourth quarter, and it leaves the Cowboys with a good bit of uncertainty as they prepare to face Philadelphia’s ferocious defense.

Still, Jones says he is not inclined to rush to work a deal for a left tackle before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

“Thank goodness we’ve got some good depth. We’ve been developing depth,” Jones said. “I feel good about our offensive line. Everybody in the league is looking for starting offensive linemen. Everybody.”

“If you really look at our team right now, the biggest need is depth on the offensive line. Really. More so than anyplace else,” Jones continued before getting more specific.

“Starting kind of depth.”

So for Dallas, the real answer may simply be to trust that Smith will have himself ready to play- for real- in Week 9.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones echoed that on 105.3 The Fan Monday: “[H]opefully he’ll be ready to go against the Eagles.”

But the inconvenient truth is this: at this point in the oft-injured lineman’s career, Smith has come to be viewed as practically a gametime decision every single week.

“You have to,” McCarthy admitted. “We’re fortunate to have veterans that are long in the tooth that have played a lot of football for us at a high level. You do have to recognize that, especially when you when get to this point in the season.”

Smith will have several more days to recuperate, with Mondays used for film study instead of practice, Tuesdays off, and Wednesdays set aside for a handful of Cowboys veterans as a rest day.

“Even if he wasn’t injured,” McCarthy explained, “he wouldn’t be practicing on Wednesday again.”

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It was a knee injury suffered in practice that held Smith out of Weeks 3 and 4. Now his latest neck stinger- also sustained in practice- has cost him another game, even if it was out of an abundance of caution.

“[If it had been the] Super Bowl, might have been a different story,” Jones suggested. “We didn’t want him to get another stinger out there on top of what he’s had. He’ll work through this as he always has.”

And the Cowboys will explore contingency plans at left tackle, just as they always have.

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Cowboys backup LT Chuma Edoga leave on cart after leg injury

The Cowboys lost their backup left tackle in the midst of a blowout win. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys started the week with their cleanest injury report of the entire season. On Wednesday, only backup safety Juanyeh Thomas was listed and even he was a full participant. Thursday though brought an unexpected listed, as Tyron Smith was limited with a neck injury, after suffering a stinger.

It was assumed he was going to play based on words from both head coach Mike McCarthy and owner Jerry Jones, however Smith was among the seven inactives named over an hour before kickoff. Now, deep into the second half of a blowout victory, Dallas is down to their third-string left tackle.

Chuma Edoga, who has played in Smith’s absence throughout the season, had his right leg fallen on during a pass block on a huge play to Ceedee Lamb. Edoga laid stretched out on the field for a long time before the cart eventually took him into the locker room for futher evaluation.

Fifth-round rookie Asim Richards, who looked good during the preseason but has only seen 20 regular-season snaps entering the week, came in to replace him.

Cowboys LG exits game with elbow injury

The Cowboys’ sole OL spot playing with a backup is now down to third string. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys have an offensive line concern heading into the halftime break. CBS Sports’ Tracey Wolfson reported that the one backup offensive lineman who is starting is undergoing x-rays.

Dallas has been without starting left guard Tyler Smith through both games as he nurses a hamstring injury suffered early in the practice week ahead of the season opener. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Chuma Edoga, a free agent pickup this offseason, formerly of the New York Jets. Edoga left the first half early to get his elbow looked at.

Filling in for him is UDFA rookie T.J. Bass, who took the last snap of the half, a kneel down with Dallas leading 18-10.

Cowboys OL Chuma Edoga suffers knee injury, carted off practice field

From @ToddBrock24f7: Edoga was rolled into by LB Jabril Cox and was unable to put weight on his right leg. He is said to have hyperextended his right knee.

There was already loads of uncertainty surrounding the Cowboys offensive line, with perennial All-Pro guard Zack Martin continuing his holdout and several of the team’s younger linemen being shuffled around in his absence.

Things may have turned an even murkier shade of gray, at least for the short term.

Chuma Edoga, listed on this week’s initial depth chart as the backup left tackle to Tyron Smith, went down during Thursday’s 11-on-11 session with a lower body injury and was carted off the practice field in Oxnard, unable to put weight on his right leg.

Video showed Edoga, the 26-year-old signed by Dallas in March, lined up at left guard on the play. He was eventually hit below the knees by a falling Jabril Cox, who had met ballcarrier Hunter Luepke coming through the hole.

Edoga had already been “favoring his right knee” yet “played through discomfort” up until the time of the injury, according to reports.

Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News followed up after practice with word that two people familiar with the initial diagnosis have classified Edoga’s injury as a “hyperextended” knee.

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ESPN’s Todd Archer added that the former Jet and Falcon will get an MRI, but is believed to have escaped major injury.

Still, it’s yet another question mark along the front five for a team that was already hoping to start solidifying some answers, with their season opener exactly one month away.

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Cowboys sign free agent OL Chuma Edoga

The former third-round draft pick has played in just 26 games over four seasons, but has promising versatility at both tackle and guard. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys liked what they saw from at least one of their three free agent visits on Monday, officially signing offensive lineman Chuma Edoga to a contract on Tuesday.

The signing marks the first outside free agent acquisition made by the team this offseason. Terms of the deal were not immediately known, though ESPN’s Todd Archer reports it was a one-year deal.

Edoga was a third-round draft pick by the Jets in 2019 out of USC. He played in just 24 games over three seasons in New York before being claimed off waivers just prior to the 2022 season by Atlanta. He made just two game appearances for the Falcons.

With just 810 snaps to show for a four-year career, the 6-foot-3-inch, 308-pounder is still something of a raw prospect that could be molded into what the Cowboys need him to be by new offensive line coach Mike Solari.

Edoga has played both left and right tackle as well as guard and could provide a measure of versatility for a front five in Dallas that has required plenty of in-season shuffling in recent years.

The Cowboys reportedly had interest in Edoga last year when Tyron Smith went down with an injury before the regular season.

Guard Connor McGovern departed the team early in free agency, signing a deal with Buffalo.

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Cowboys host 3 veteran free agents, including two-time Super Bowl RB

RB Ronald Jones II, LB Travin Howard, and OL Chuma Edoga were scheduled for physicals and evaluations at The Star as free agency continues. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys were scheduled to bring in a trio of free agents as they look to fill in a few roster gaps with experienced talent that should come somewhat cheaper than the big-name veterans signed during last week’s initial rush.

Running back Ronald Jones II, linebacker Travin Howard, and offensive lineman Chuma Edoga were expected to undergo physicals and be evaluated Monday at the The Star in Frisco, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

Jones played high school ball in the Metroplex before a three-year college career at USC. A second-round draft pick of Tampa Bay in 2018, Jones logged 2,174 rushing yards over four seasons with the Bucs, winning a Super Bowl in the process. In 2022, he signed with Kansas City, but he got into just six games with the Chiefs; he won another Super Bowl ring in February but did not take the field during the game.

Howard played collegiately at TCU and was a seventh-round draft pick by the Rams in 2018. He made just 29 regular-season game appearances over three years; his most memorable highlight came in the 2021 NFC Championship, when he picked off a Jimmy Garoppolo pass in the final two minutes to send the Rams to Super Bowl LVI. He was out for most of 2022 with a core muscle injury, but Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel is familiar with Howard after their time together in L.A.

Edoga was a third-round selection by the Jets in 2019 out of USC. After three seasons in New York as a tackle who could play either the right or left side, the lineman was claimed off waivers by Atlanta and saw work at left guard.

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Falcons OL Chuma Edoga will go on IR, WR Jared Bernhardt returns

According to Arthur Smith, the #Falcons will place OL Chuma Edoga on IR, and WR Jared Bernhardt will make his return to practice

The Atlanta Falcons will soon place offensive lineman Chuma Edoga on the injured reserve list, head coach Arthur Smith revealed on Wednesday morning. Backup center Matt Hennessy could be activated in a corresponding move.

Edoga has missed the last two games due to a knee injury. He has filled in admirably when called upon but was unlikely to play over the final two games as the offensive line gets healthier.

Smith announced a few other moves as well, per ESPN’s Michael Rothstein.

Wide receiver Jared Bernhardt and offensive lineman Justin Shaffer have been designated to return, opening up their 21-day practice window. Bernhardt made the team’s initial 53-man roster out of training camp following a strong preseason performance.

Shaffer, the former Georgia Bulldog, was drafted by the Falcons in the sixth round. He has spent most of the 2022 season developing on the practice squad.

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Falcons vs. Ravens: Final injury report for Week 16 matchup

Injury Report: #Falcons OL Chuma Edoga, #Ravens QB Lamar Jackson ruled OUT for Week 16 matchup in Baltimore

The Atlanta Falcons (5-9) will look to end their three-game losing streak when they take on the Baltimore Ravens (9-5) in Week 16. As you would expect, the Ravens are favored at home, but the Falcons’ chances of winning have improved dramatically following Thursday’s practice.

Baltimore ruled out three players, including quarterback Lamar Jackson (knee) and defensive lineman Calais Campbell (knee), for Saturday’s game. Atlanta listed just one player on the team’s final injury report.

Reserve offensive lineman Chuma Edoga (knee) has been ruled out for Saturday’s game after missing all three days of practice. Check out the full injury report for both teams heading into Week 16 below.