One of the strengths of the Dallas Cowboys in recent years has been their offensive line. Since drafting Tyron Smith in the first round of the 2011 draft, the organization has selected five offensive linemen in the first three rounds of the past 10 drafts. The number grows to six if including La’el Collins, a first-round talent who dropped out of the draft due to circumstances not in his control.
However, that hasn’t stopped the Cowboys from adding talent outside of the draft. One of the offensive lineman who has stuck around despite having Pro Bowl caliber players around him is tackle Brandon Knight.
Dallas added Knight as undrafted free agent out of Indiana in 2019, where he played four years. Knight began his career splitting time at tight end — where he caught one touchdown — and tackle for the Hoosiers during his freshman year before settling in at RT for the remainder of his three seasons. During his junior year, Knight was a Big 10 honorable mention at tackle.
Draft Profile
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Dane Brugler Scouting Report
SUMMARY: A three-star recruit out of high school, Brandon Knight was a three-year letterman at Noblesville and chose to stay close to home at Indiana over offers from Miami (Fla.), Virginia Tech and others. He worked himself into the starting lineup in 2016 but injuries plagued his sophomore and junior seasons. He stayed healthy as a senior and had his best season, starting every game at right tackle. Knight is smooth in his setup and appears comfortable on his feet to cut off outside speed. However, his length is only average, losing balance and forcing his upper body to overextend. While he competes with the awareness and finishing grit required in the run game, he doesn’t consistently create movement as a drive blocker and his base strength shows foundation cracks at contact. Overall, Knight has a workable skill set due to his movements and instincts, but his mediocre pass protection, average play strength and injury history lead to fit concerns in the NFL.
Rookie Year
Knight saw action in seven games as a rookie. He earned his way onto the roster as a swing tackle and got a start against the New York Jets, filling in for the injured Collins at RT.
Knight held up admirably in his first season, giving the Cowboys the confidence to declined the option on Cameron Fleming this offseason. It’s an impressive feat considering there’s a new coaching staff, who must’ve admired Knight’s play in 2019.
One of the bright spots of DAL's loss was the performance of UDFA OL Brandon Knight filling in for an injured La'el Collins in 2nd half.
Knight was quick out of his stance & routinely beat GB's rushers to the spot. Protected his inside edge well & showed off impressive footspeed pic.twitter.com/1saj2QMPBx
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) October 7, 2019
After working with Marc Colombo in 2019, he will now be under the veteran tutelage of Joe Philbin.
What To Expect in 2020
For the upcoming season, Knight will head into the year in competition to be the top swing tackle on the roster.
As a second-year player, Knight will have the benefit of having been in an offseason program and the game experience that only veteran Cam Erving can boast. Expect one of the best training camp and preseason battles for the top swing tackle to be had between the two.
Former Clemson star Mitch Hyatt, also a 2019 UDFA, and 2020 Texas Tech UDFA Terrence Steele, will also be competing for a role on the roster.
With the addition of two additional practice squad spots and extra game-day roster spots with OL caveats, Knight should be able to continue his career and potential ascent with no problem. How high he climbs on the OT totem will be up to him.
The Cowboys seem to believe in Knight’s ability. Despite playing only RT in college, he showed enough athleticism and the ability to play both tackle positions in Dallas. They did bring in Erving to compete with him, but the team would save money by keeping Knight and jettisoning Erving.
Even with the loss of Travis Frederick to retirement, the Cowboys’ offensive line is one of the deepest, most versatile groups in the league. New head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive line coach Joe Philbin have worked well together in the past, it will be interesting to see how Knight develops under their guidance.
You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi.
This is part of our Countdown to the Regular Season player profile countdown. Up next is rookie DE Ron’Dell Carter.
| Antwaun Woods | Tyrone Crawford | Trysten Hill | Jalen Jelks |
| Dontari Poe | Randy Gregory | Gerald McCoy | Dorance Armstrong |
| L.P. Ladouceur | DeMarcus Lawrence | Blake Jarwin | CeeDee Lamb |
| Cole Hikutini | Dalton Schultz | Noah Brown | Sean McKeon |
| Ventell Bryant | Jon’vea Johnson | Blake Bell | Justin Hamilton |
| Cody Wichmann | Tyron Smith | Ladarius Hamilton |
| Neville Gallimore | Terence Steele | Joe Looney | La’el Collins |
| Zack Martin |
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