Tag: Terence Steele

Cowboys RT Terence Steele proving quite the tricky analysis

Terence Steele offers both good and bad to the Cowboys making him a tough evaluation for 2025. | From @ReidDHanson

Terence Steele isn’t very good. The fifth-year vet has allowed the third most pressures in the NFL from the tackle position in 2024. In Pro Football Focus’ pass block grades he’s fourth lowest among those with seven or more starts. And the seven sacks he’s given up ties him with backup OT Fred Johnson for worst in the NFL.

At the same time, Steele is also pretty darn good. The 27-year-old is, at times, a dominant run blocker. Steele grades as the 13th best run blocking OT in the NFL. On zone runs in 2024 he ranks eighth amongst his peers. While Steele has been called for three false starts, he hasn’t been called for a single hold in run blocking this season.

Steele is a liability in pass protection and an asset in run blocking. It’s a situation that surely gives the Cowboys fits because Steele represents both extremes at the OT position. He’s a player to run the ball behind but also someone in pass protection to be wary of.

When Steele originally signed his five-year, $82,500,000 extension, he was coming off a career season. Though injury ended that year prematurely, Steele had established himself as an elite run blocker and adequate pass protector in 2022. It’s taken time for Steele to bounce back, but as a run blocker, he appears to be finally arriving. Unfortunately, as a pass protector he’s still a far cry from adequate.

It’s made Steele a lightning rod for criticism in 2024 and a likely cap casualty in the offseason. While he’s technically signed through 2028, the Cowboys can cut him in 2025 for $14 million in savings. The Cowboys will likely be looking to cut costs over the winter as they rebuild their roster for next year. Middle class players like Steele could very well be out the door, even if they have posted some impressive highlights over the years.

It’s understandable many have been critical of Steele over recent weeks. He’s one of the highest-paid players on the roster and routinely gives up pressures, killing drives and frustrating fans. But it’s worth acknowledging Steele is pretty good in some areas too. Steele’s an excellent run blocker and for that he deserves recognition.

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It’s time for Cowboys to bench this highly-paid player and try something new

If the Cowboys plan to cut Terence Steele this winter, they should kick the tires on possible replacements. | From @ReidDHanson

Not much is going right in Dallas these days. Fresh of their 30-24 loss to San Francisco, the Cowboys find themselves saddled with a losing record, 2.5 games back in the NFC East, and facing one of the toughest remaining schedules in the NFL. Changes are needed and all options deserve consideration.

One such idea is to make a change at the right tackle position. On one hand the Cowboys have stalwart Terence Steele locked and loaded for the foreseeable future. Steele was re-signed in the offseason of 2023 and is under contract through 2028. On the other hand, Steele isn’t playing well and at a cap charge of $18,125,000, he may be too costly for the Dallas front office to justify next season.

The player working behind Steele at RT has been Matt Waletzko. Waletzko, a fifth-round pick from 2022, has been a project player for the past two seasons. Injuries have slowed his development, and preseason action has looked rough, but Waletzko is an inexpensive player who’s signed through next season. If the Cowboys plan to move on from Steele over the winter, it makes sense to test his replacement in advance.

Although maybe Waletzko isn’t the answer. Maybe that’s just swapping one problem with a bigger problem. With reserve tackle Asim Richards, it’s possible the Cowboys have Steele’s replacement somewhere else on their roster. Richards, a former college left tackle who Dallas took in the fifth round in 2023, is a low-cost alternative the Cowboys have been determined to develop.

The only problem is that’s been on the left side.

Richards is signed through the 2026 season, meaning Dallas would get over two more years of cheap labor from the former Tar Heel if they went his direction instead. That may not matter much to fans but to the front office such a possibility is golden.

Steele has always been a controversial figure in Dallas. The former undrafted free agent was thrown into the fire as a rookie and morphed himself into a success story. Prior to a catastrophic knee injury suffered late in 2022, Steele was regarded as an elite run blocker capable of dominating opponents at the line and on the move.

His pass protection often left something to be desired, so when the Cowboys re-signed Steele coming off the injury, more than a few eyebrows were raised. Now nearly two years removed from the injury, Steele is still dividing fans over his value. Steele has reclaimed much of his glory as a run blocker, ranking in Pro Football Focus’ top 10 amongst run blocking OTs this season. But as a pass protector he’s been nothing short of terrible.

Despite playing in only seven games, Steele’s 23 pressures allowed are tied for third worst amongst OTs in 2024. Of the 76 OTs PFF graded this season, Steele ranks just 53rd. He’s one of the NFL’s highest paid OTs but he consistently grades in the bottom in pass protection, a score validated by film review and total pressures allowed. Waletzko and Richards may not be the answer but five years into the Steele experiment, it’s clear he isn’t either.

According to Over the Cap, cutting Steele becomes financially feasible this coming offseason. The team would save $14 million in 2025 by designating him a post-June 1 cut. If the writing is really on the wall for Steele, it makes more sense to test his replacements now than to wait until March when the real decisions become due.

Something for the Cowboys to think about over the next few weeks.

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Cowboys restructured controversial contract to create cap space before season started

Dallas continues to use accounting mechanisms to maneuver around each season’s salary cap. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Some may feel that the Dallas Cowboys should have had some buyer’s remorse when it came to their most recent offensive line signing, but according to a new report dealing with a restructure, they aren’t showing it.

Dallas inked right tackle Terence Steele to a five-year, $82.5 million extension right before the start of the 2023 season. Already under contract as a restricted free agent, Steele’s new money was on top of the $4.3 million he was expected to make. The controversy centered around the fact that Steele’s 2022 season ended with ACL surgery, and the former Texas Tech UDFA had worked his tail off and was actually ready for the start of the season.

Steele, while playing in all 17 games, was nowhere near the ascending player he appeared to be prior to the injury. His Pro Football Focus grades plummeted, going from a 73.9 overall with a near-elite run-blocking grade of 82.1, to a 52.3 overall with a 56.1 run-blocking grade. His pass-pro grade sunk from a pedestrian 63.7 to a doggy-paddling 48.9.

Steele’s contract was structured in a way that it was essentially a three-year deal that could be escaped from rather easily after the 2025 season, leaving $46.25 million of base salary in 2026 through 2028.

According to Field Yates (via Twitter), that figure went up after the club pushed a bunch of his 2024 base salary off into the future via a restructure.

Teams creating cap space via restructures to begin the season:
Seahawks via WR DK Metcalf: $9.5M
Vikings via TE T.J. Hockenson: $7M
Falcons via DT David Onyemata: $4.85M
Cowboys via OT Terence Steele: $4.5M

The move shrinks Steele’s base salary from $7.25 million to $1.625 million for the 2024 season, shaving $4.5 million from this year’s cap hit and adding $1.125 million to each of the next four seasons. For those keeping track at home, that’s $3.375 million added to the dead money total if Dallas chooses to move on from Steele after 2025.

The hope is obviously that a year removed from the injury, Steele’s performance returns to the trajectory it had before. He played 63 snaps on Sunday in the season opener against the stout Cleveland Browns defensive line, earning a 67.9 overall grade with 58.8 pass-pro score and a 71.8 run-blocking mark.

Dallas has approximately $14.3 million in cap space prior to the impact of extending QB Dak Prescott.

Good news, bad news for Cowboys’ depth issues at offensive tackle

The Cowboys are exceptionally suspect in their OT depth, placing much pressure on the starters to stay healthy says @ReidDHanson.

The Cowboys couldn’t be happier with the development of rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton. The first round pick out of Oklahoma is every bit as advertised athletically, and his learning curve has exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations.

The Cowboys are similarly pleased with the rehabilitation of veteran right tackle, Terence Steele. The homegrown tackle is hoping to put his disappointing 2023 season behind him. Another year removed from his nasty knee injury late in 2022, Steele is looking closer to his pre-injury self.

Both accounts serve as good news for the offense since the options behind them are worrisome, to say the least. Chuma Edoga, the original starting LT in training camp, is expected to be out multiple weeks after suffering a significant toe injury. And Earl Bostick, a promising depth OT, suffered a season-ending leg injury and has been placed on IR. Dallas signed OT Cohl Cabral to compensate the loss, but he’s not seen as much more than a camp body at this point.

Depth responsibilities have fallen onto the shoulders of a pair of former fifth-round picks, Matt Waletzko and Asim Richards. While both players have shown signs of development, neither appear to be ready to fill in as an OT starter anytime soon. Before the rash of injuries, Waletzko was projected by many to miss the Cowboys’ final 53-man cut altogether. As for Richards, he has outside flex but currently looks better at the guard position.

Even with some questions still percolating regarding the play of Guyton and Steele, the falloff from the starters to the back-ups appears to be extremely significant. So much so, Mike McCarthy will likely have to change the offensive design if either starter goes down.

With Waletzko playing RT against the Raiders staters last week, Dallas seemed to actively avoid plays which required Cooper Rush to be in the pocket very long. Three-step drops and quick read plays dominated the play-calling. It’s certainly a situation the Cowboys want to avoid because it bleeds into so many other areas of the offense.

Some have suggested the Cowboys could trade for a veteran or scour the waiver wire after final cuts are made but it’s unlikely either avenue would offer anything much better than what Richards and Waletzko offer. For as unready as the pair looks today, they are progressing as prospects so it’s fair to say part of the good news lies in their upside. As long as both starters can stay healthy through the first portion of the season, the Cowboys won’t have to throw Richards or Waletzko into the fire.

The good news is Guyton and Steele have a relatively healthy injury history. Obviously, Steele lost time from the aforementioned knee injury late in 2022, but even then, he only missed a total of four regular season games. He bounced back in record time and played all 17 games in 2023. That knee injury is the only blemish on his four-year record in Dallas.

As a rookie Guyton doesn’t have the professional track record to reference that Steele does but based on his college scouting reports, he only had one undisclosed injury on his record, playing in all but one game. In the preseason Guyton missed practice time from an illness but was immediately tossed back into action when Edoga suddenly went down against the Rams. It speaks to his ability to rebound and perform under less-than-ideal circumstances.

Both Steele and Guyton appear to be durable players capable of physically holding up throughout the season. The Cowboys will need that because the depth pieces behind them aren’t ready.

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It might be time for the Cowboys to focus Asim Richards at RT

There’s an easier path to opportunity at RT than at LT for the Cowboys Asim Richards, says @ReidDHanson.

Asim Richards came to the Cowboys as a somewhat unique prospect. Selected No. 169 overall, Richards was neither a high potential developmental guy nor was he a polished plug-and-play guy. He was something of a tweener.

Given his three years of starting experience at LT in college and his continued work in Dallas on the left, it’s understandable he’s penciled in there once again in 2024. But that might be a mistake. Given the situation on the Cowboys line, bigger needs and better opportunities could be awaiting Richards at RT.

6-foot-4, 309-pounds, Richards came to the Cowboys with the size but not the strength. Dane Brugler’s scouting profile highlighted his limitations in lower body flexibility and his weaknesses in technique. But what was clear from his college tape was he was a batter pass protector than run blocker and overall, he was steadily improving and yet to hit his developmental plateau.

The North Carolina offensive lineman had 38 games starting experience with the Tar Heels, 37 of which were at the all-important left tackle spot, which is where he best fit as a pro.

The rookie didn’t get many opportunities. The Cowboys two starting tackle remained fairly healthy most of the year, allowing Richards to develop in the background. Tabbed as a left tackle, 27 of his 39 snaps on the offensive line came at the LT position making him an early favorite to back up the rookie Tyler Guyton on Dak Prescott’s blindside.

It seems clear, the aforementioned Guyton is the future of the LT position in Dallas. Drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, Guyton will be given every chance to succeed at LT this year and going forward.

The right side is a completely different issue. Terence Steele has been a hot conversation all offseason. His sketchy 2023 season makes 2024 do-or-die for the 27-year-old RT. With an out in his contract next spring, the Cowboys aren’t tied to Steele like they are Guyton. If Steele stumbles, there will be an opening at RT and that’s something Richards could take advantage of.

Switching sides is much easier said than done, of course. Not many players can flip between left and right at a moment’s notice which is why the traditional swing tackle position has been steadily phasing out around the league. It’s for this reason Richards should start the process now.

Given his experience at North Carolina and Dallas, Richards can’t currently be expected to fill in at RT – even in a jam. He’s played exclusively on the left. Early work in training camp could pay off down the road. The odds are much better the Cowboys will be looking for a new RT before they’re looking for a new LT, so the strategy is sound.

Hopefully Steele bounces back to his preinjury form and Richards isn’t needed to start anywhere. Richards can just focus on what he does best and fill in at LT if something should happen to Guyton. But contingency plans are important and there’s a very real possibility the Cowboys will be in the RT market much sooner than the other side.

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Cowboys offensive tackle bookends looking up at NFL tandems

According to one list, no Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle was listed among the Top 32 options in the league for 2024. | From @BenGrimaldi

The Dallas Cowboys are going through a period of transition along their offensive line this offseason and that led to the team drafting two linemen this past April. Tyler Guyton, their first-round selection, was a right tackle who will be moving to the left side with the Cowboys.

Despite his immense potential, Guyton remains an unknown, leaving the offensive line without a top tackle for the first time in a long time. PFF recently ranked the Top 32 tackles in the NFL ahead of the 2024 season and no Dallas player made the cut.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that neither Guyton, nor starting right tackle Terence Steele made the list. Guyton will be a rookie protecting quarterback Dak Prescott’s blind side, and it’ll be a switch in sides for the young LT. Dallas believes Guyton has what it takes to become another of their All-Pro caliber offensive linemen drafted, but he’ll have a bumpy road on the way to hopefully making the list in the coming years.

The Cowboys know what they’re doing when it comes to drafting offensive line prospects. Since they drafted LT Tyron Smith in the first round of the 2011 draft, each of their four first-round OL picks have become All-Pros, and it’s never taken them longer than three years to achieve that honor.

On the right side, Steele needs to rebound from a rough year. The Cowboys put their faith in him after two solid campaigns at RT and gave him a hefty contract extension before the 2023 season began. Unfortunately, the veteran RT was coming off a torn ACL injury and wasn’t the same player. The expectation is that Steele will be back to his old self another year further away from the serious injury.

When he’s healthy, Steele is a good RT who excels in paving the way for the running game as one of the better run blockers in the league. He’s never made a Pro Bowl, but with his work ethic and the improvement he’s shown throughout his career, Steele is capable of being a Top 10 RT. However, it’s no surprise he didn’t find his way onto the list.

What is interesting about the rankings from PFF is who did manage to be named among the top tackles. Former Cowboy and current New York Jets LT Tyron Smith ranked as the seventh best tackle in the league, which shouldn’t come as a shock. When healthy, Smith is one of the best LTs in the league and is coming off an All-Pro year. The veteran LT routinely found his way on this list when he was a member of the Cowboys, yet he wasn’t retained for the upcoming year.

The Philadelphia Eagles have both of their tackles listed among the Top 10 in the league. LT Jordan Mailata came in at number five on the list, while RT Lane Johnson was right behind him, ranking sixth. It’s disheartening to see rivals rank so highly on a list where the home team isn’t represented.

Another NFC East team was also represented, New York Giants LT Andrew Thomas was listed as the 11th best tackle in the league. It was an injury-plagued year for Thomas in 2023, but in 2022, the LT was among the best LTs in the game.

Dallas’ defense will line up against 15 of the Top 32 tackles and will play against five teams who have two tackles ranked inside the list. The Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers all have their bookend tackles ranked inside the Top 32. In total, the Cowboys will play 10 games against some of the top tackles in the league. San Francisco 49ers’ LT Trent Williams topped the list, and Dallas will line up against him in Week 8.

It’s been a long time since there wasn’t a Cowboys tackle rated highly around the league. Smith was a staple among the top talents at the position, but the team decided not to bring him back for a 14th season. With a rookie and a rebound candidate at both tackle spots, the Cowboys have the potential to have someone on the list for next season, but they don’t have an elite tackle on the roster in 2024.

You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi

Cowboys finally have OL depth, just as starting lineup becomes shaky

The Cowboys offensive line is strong in depth but unproven and suspect in the starting ranks, says @ReidDHanson.

For the first time in a long time the Cowboys have depth throughout the offensive line ranks. T.J. Bass at guard, Brock Hoffman at center and offensive tackles Matt Waletzko and Asim Richards give Dallas solid depth options at every position across the line.

It’s a luxury the Cowboys haven’t enjoyed in recent seasons. Over the past few years, the Cowboys have been struggling to put a starting unit together. In 2024 they have the starters and backups seemingly in place.

Obviously positions still need to be earned before names on the depth chart are written in ink, but the intensions are clear: Tyler Guyton was drafted in the first round and fully expected to open the season at the starting left tackle. Cooper Beebe was drafted in the third round and considered by many to be the front-runner at OC. Tyler Smith, Zack Martin and Terence Steele are virtual locks at their respective starting spots as well. The stage is set.

But for as good as the depth appears and for as clear as the Cowboys’ intensions are, the starting ranks are fairly suspect this season. That’s because the expected starters are largely unproven and or coming off down seasons.

The rookie Guyton is moving from the right to the left. He has plenty of time to make the transition, but the move can’t be completely disregarded. There’s also the fact he enters the NFL as a bit of a raw prospect. Guyton is more potential than plug-and-play so growing pains are expected. He’s not as polished as his draft status indicates so he comes with a considerable amount of risk.

Similarly, the rookie Beebe is switching positions as well. Moving from OG to OC is no small transition and while Beebe’s work ethic and intelligence indicate he’s up to the task, he’s still unproven.

Steele is coming off an extremely down season. He never regained form after his 2022 knee injury and is essentially playing for his job in 2024. He rated as one of the league’s worst pass protectors in 2023 and his run blocking was doing little to compensate for it. He’s a safe bet to start but there’s no telling how well he’ll play.

Even Zack Martin is coming off his own down season. He still ranked as a top-10 OG in 2023, but it was a noticeable drop from his previous standard. Maybe it was all due to nagging injuries. Maybe it was a sign of things to come for a player turning 34 this season who held out for financial guarantees last offseason.

The depth on the roster indicates the Cowboys are well positioned to cover any injury to the starting ranks. An injury wouldn’t be ideal but it’s not the kiss of death it has been in the past. Unfortunately, the starters aren’t quite the same standard of stability either. 2024 is a transition year for the Cowboys offensive line and a case can be made Dallas is taking a step back to develop in 2024 so they can take a step forward in the long run.

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Cowboys banking on Terence Steele’s improvement in 2024

The Cowboys are going to be breaking in two new starters on the OL so they need Terence Steele to step up into a more self-sufficient role. | From @ReidDHanson

When the Cowboys re-signed Terence Steele to a five-year, $85,500,000 deal in the offseason of 2023, they did so assuming Steele would return to form following his December knee injury.

Assumptions can be dangerous business in the NFL; especially true when dealing with injured players. The Cowboys assumed Michael Gallup would bounce back from his knee injury at the end of the 2021 season and that never materialized. They made similar losing bets by re-signing injury flagged players like Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch only to see their time cut short as well. Last seen, Steele was an extreme liability in pass protection.

Out of 81 OTs graded by PFF in 2023, Steele graded 70th overall. Prescott’s 2.56 ATT (average time to throw) was among the 10 fastest of those QBs with 15 or more starts, yet Steele still surrendered 56 pressures, which is second most among all OTs who played at least 80 percent of the snaps in 2023.

In all fairness, pass protection was always Steele’s weakness, even before his injury. But his run blocking was dominant in the past, so it made up for his average-to-below-average pass protection. In 2023, neither phase of his game lived up to expectations. Given the state of the Cowboys offensive line in 2024, it’s imperative Steele regains his preinjury form if the Cowboys offense wants to survive.

The Cowboys offensive line is going through a churning period of sorts this year. Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz have both left in free agency and without a clear heir apparent waiting in the wings, both spots could be reliant on rookies for replacements.

Sure, Tyler Smith could move over to LT and Brock Hoffman could step in at center, but both moves represent a step back at their respective position (at least temporarily) and Smith’s move just creates a new hole elsewhere (LG).

Even if the draft lands perfectly and the Cowboys are able to find their LT and C solutions early, there’s a learning curve which must be accounted for as they develop into real NFL linemen. Blue-chip prospects still struggle early as they transition to the pro game, forcing teams to roll assistance in their direction. In these situations, stability at other positions is a necessity.

In 2023 Steele regularly demanded assistance in pass protection. Luckily for him Smith at LT was one of the best in the game. According to Next Gen Stats, Smith worked on an island the third most frequently in 2023. And his 6.7% pressure rate allowed on those snaps was tops in the NFL.

The Cowboys could afford to roll help Steele’s way last season because Smith was downright dominant on the other side. In games Chuma Edoga had to play LT, things got ugly fast. Like Steele, Edoga demanded help frequently. Since Mike McCarthy couldn’t roll help to both of them at the same time, play-calling adjustments had to made and Dak Prescott’s internal clock oftentimes had to be sped up.

While a highly drafted rookie LT will hopefully be better than Edoga was in 2023, he’s extremely unlikely to be as dominant as Smith was. He’s going to need help with some assignments but to send him that help Steele is going to have to be more reliable on the right side.

Despite just technically starting his extension this season, Steele’s contract is structured in a way he’s releasable as early as next offseason. So, while he’s technically the 10th highest paid RT in the NFL per OTC, he’s playing for his job this season and the Cowboys’ offensive survival relies on his success.

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Cowboys have cornered the market at just under 8% of 2024 salary cap

The Cowboys are top heavy in their cornerback room, opening the door to help in free agency or the draft. | From @ArmyChiefW3

For a long time, the Cowboys were a struggling secondary when it came to getting interceptions. From 2015 through 2020, they never picked off more than 10 passes in a single season, and doing that only twice in the span. Then, in 2021, All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs did that by himself with his his league-leading 11 picks while the team totaled an amazing 26. 17 of those turnovers came from the cornerback room that season. In 2022, Dallas had 16 interceptions as a team while 2023 added another 17 making it three straight seasons in which Dallas ranked in the top 10 in total interceptions.

Wondering if Dallas can do it again under a new scheme is a valid question with Dan Quinn in Washington and Mike Zimmer taking over the defense and changing the playbook. Another question ishow much depth Dallas really has looking beyond their two projected starters. Five players under contract means the Cowboys have a sneaky need at the position and questions linger after the top two guys. Nonetheless, the current corners in Dallas rival another group for the best-managed room on the roster.

Cowboys’ offensive line already accounts for almost 25% of ’24 salary cap

Following the money spent on the offensive line finds Dallas’ depth impressive but two big holes have to be filled. | From @ArmyChiefW3

Budgeting for the offensive line is not an easy task as this group, whose numbers normally hover around 10 every season, can consume a large portion of a team’s salary cap. Even when only one player is paid top dollar, the amount of money spent on linemen can be a burden based on sheer numbers. With so many teams across the league scrambling for viable options, Dallas has assembled a cast of young hopefuls that could provide depth for the next few years.

The Cowboys will need to address the starting left tackle position this offseason, and although the upcoming draft is full of options, bringing back Tyron Smith could be the smart play. So could an agreement with center Tyler Biadasz, who is slated to hit the open market for the first time in his career. Here’s a rundown of what is currenly on the ledger for the group going into 2024.