Cowboys 'Open Competition' In O-Line? Under 1 Condition

Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Terence Steele and Tyron Smith have missed a combined 37 games over the past three seasons.

When healthy, this Dallas Cowboys offensive line is undoubtedly one of the best in the NFL. But ... entering 2023, there's a "but.''

With Tyron Smith and Terence Steele on the outsidesat tackle, Tyler Smith and Zack Martin slotted in both guard slots and Tyler Biadasz at center, there aren't many units that stack up with Dallas' talent level in the trenches. 

However, "the best ability is availability," as team owner Jerry Jones has recently taken to saying, and having all five guys healthy may be the Cowboys biggest roadblock this season. 

CowboysSI.com - disagreeing with the local paper - has predicted the obvious roles for the aforementioned five. The Athletic seems to agree ... with one of those "buts.''

"If everyone is healthy, Tyler Smith can start at left guard with Tyron Smith at left tackle and Terence Steele at right tackle," The Athletic writes. "But Steele is coming off a season-ending knee injury and Tyron Smith has missed 33 games over the last three seasons."

Luckily for Dallas, Tyler switching over to tackle will be of little concern as that's where he played 89 percent of his rookie season snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Additionally, CowboysSI.com has seen footage of Steele's recent offseason workouts. And it looks like progress to us. Still, finding a reliable option inside if one of the "Best 5" goes down brings a lot more uncertainty and inexperience among the available options. 

"If either of those tackles misses time, Tyler Smith will need to shift over to left tackle, leaving a lot of questions at left guard. Connor McGovern started there last year, but he signed with the Buffalo Bills in free agency," The Athletic writes. "That means there could basically be an open competition at left guard at training camp and the preseason between veterans Chuma Edoga, Matt Farniok, Josh Ball, and undrafted rookie T.J. Bass."

With head coach Mike McCarthy taking over play-calling duties, the Cowboys hope a healthy offensive line can ignite a deep playoff run. "Best 5'' works. Making sure there's a "sixth'' and a "seventh'' and more seems wise as well.

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You can find Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard

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