DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys used to have tremendous depth across the offensive line, but 2022 will not be one of those seasons.
In addition to cutting starting right tackle La'el Collins and allowing starting left guard Connor Williams to walk in free agency, the Cowboys went thin at tackle — save for the draft selections of first-rounder Tyler Smith and fifth-rounder Matt Waletzko.
With All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith out until at least December with a hamstring tear, the Cowboys may have to turn to the younger T. Smith sooner rather than later.
"That’s why we drafted, at the end of the day, why we did draft Tyler Smith," Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones told the "K&C Masterpiece" on 105.3 "The Fan" [KRLD-FM] (please link: https://omny.fm/shows/kevin-and-cory/k-c-masterpiece-talk-to-stephen-jones) Monday. "I think we’re very much on record saying we thought he was going to be our future left tackle. We were looking for ways to get him on the field sooner and thought with Tyron coming into camp healthy, you know, that Tyron is one of the best in the business when healthy, if not the best. That’s why we were playing him at guard. But we really think his long-term future in the NFL is left tackle. It’s why we drafted him in the first round to ultimately be our future left tackle and feel good about where that is."
Whether in Week 1 on Sept. 11 Smith is going at left tackle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football at AT&T Stadium remains to be seen. Jones indicated that the solution for Week 1 is already on the Cowboys' roster, which means either Waletzko or second-year Josh Ball could get the start if Dallas doesn't place their first-rounder on the left side.
The interior offensive line is also a point of positivity for Jones.
Said Jones: "Certainly the interior spots with Connor McGovern. I think he’s had a really solid camp, [Matt] Farniok, those types of players. We feel good about where we’re going and what our situation looks like. I say it always: we’re always looking to upgrade our roster and certainly we’ll look to continue to make ourselves better."
The Cowboys have to cut down to a 53-man roster by 3:00 p.m. Central Time on Aug. 30 — same as the rest of the NFL. In the process of virtually cutting a roster in half, teams will have to make hard decisions such as allowing quality tackle depth to remain up for grabs for almost 24 hours.
"Certainly something we’ll continue to look at as things come to fruition over the next two to three days as teams are going to have to expose a lot of players and we’ll look at that and we’ll look at the veterans that are out there and see if we need to beef up right there," said Jones.
Do you think the Cowboys will make improvements to the offensive line? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
