Cowboys Country

Cowboys Camp Preview O-Line: Zack Contract, Film Study, 'Best 5'

The starting offensive line for the Dallas Cowboys in 2023 will be comprised of a lot of moving pieces. Bottom line: Do they really want to play their "Best 5" linemen?

Harrison Reno

In this story:

One of the biggest questions the Dallas Cowboys have to answer as they report to Oxnard will be, "How will they find their starting five offensive linemen?'' And it's not just a "who?'' It is a "how?''

Unfortunately, at least for the moment, there is an even bigger question: "Will Zack Martin show up?'' Our positional series continues (DBs previewed here) with the "Cowboys Camp Preview O-Line: Zack Contract, Film Study, 'Best 5'' ...

ZACK BLOWBACK It is Martin's view that he is “woefully underpaid relative to the market.'' And so the six-time All-Pro is considering not reporting to the start of training camp. Is this a short protest of the fact Martin is scheduled to make about $13.5 million this year - about $7 mil less than what the top-paid guards (Chris Lindstrom in Atlanta, Quenton Nelson in Indianapolis) make? If so, the fines add up - $50,000. Is this meant to get the Joneses (and the public's) attention?

The Cowboys' present position is clear: Martin is the No. 7-paid guard in football, has already pocketed $40 million in cash from his previous extension, the standout having signed a six-year, $84 million deal with the Cowboys in June of 2018, and ... well, has a contract they want him to fulfill.

This will get resolved, of course. But it is still a story until Martin and the front office decide it's not.

BEST 5 Currently, the Cowboys have three offensive tackles all capable of being big-time starters in the NFL, yet only two can start as the bookends. So does that mean one of them has to move inside? 

That is what has taken place in the lead-up to training camp during OTAs and mandatory minicamp as Dallas has (slowly) moved second-year offensive tackle Tyler Smith to left guard.

Despite the signing of Chuma Edoga and the addition of Asim Richards in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, Dallas' stated philosophy - and we stress the word "stated'' - is that the coaches want their "Best 5" offensive linemen on the field. 

This means, in our view, that the 13-year veteran Tyron Smith should be moving back to left tackle after (fighting his way back to health late) playing all his games at right tackle following the knee injury to Terence Steele last season. Next to Tyron will be Tyler, then Tyler Biadasz at center, with Zack Martin to his right and the rehabbing Steele on the right.

This shift to the interior is a big one for Tyler after playing 89 percent of his snaps at left tackle as a rookie, according to Pro Football Focus. Yet, it's not something that is foreign to him, as he did receive snaps on the interior versus the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, giving fans a chance to see what he could do this fall. And a reminder: It was the original plan to begin Tyler at left guard, with him taking over at left tackle upon Tyron's retirement.

So, we set out to look at Tyler Smith's tape to see flashes of what the Cowboys have seen to make them confident of moving their prized 2022 first-round pick. ...

Arguably the biggest positive of Smith's play is his strength; once he gets his hands on, it very hard for defenders to shed his block. But it isn't just Smith's hand strength that pops off the tape; it is also his ability to move linemen in the run game. It isn't uncommon to see Smith completely uproot his defender and take them out of the play. 

In the play above, the Cowboys appear to running some variation of a wide-zone run play to the right, meaning the running back is supposed to get to the edge and run off tackle. 

Yet, despite being on the backside of the run play, Smith still needs to take his linemen out of his gap in case Tony Pollard cuts the play back inside, which he does in this instance. 

Another strength of Smith's game is his mobility; even at 6-foot-6, 332 pounds, he can get up to the second level of the defense and take on linebackers while also getting out in space to block on screen plays. In the clip above, Smith climbs to the Vikings' inside linebacker and blocks him out of the frame.

It is also important to notice the angle Smith takes to meet the linebacker. Some younger linemen go to where the linebacker is rather than where he will be. Smith - the Fort Worth kid said to be "raw'' coming out of Tulsa - must be a quick study, as doesn't make this mistake, anticipating where the linebacker will be, covering the "B gap" (the gap between Smith and Peters). 

Lastly, Smith has shown that despite facing bigger-bodied linemen than he is used to seeing off the edge, he can do more than hold his own in pass protection. 

In the top clip, the Cowboys' then-rookie is one-on-one with Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea. Smith stops Vea's potential bull-rush by getting his inside hand right outside the numbers on his jersey before dropping his "anchor" and getting his outside hand on as well.

The obvious evaluation? Tyler Smith - physically and intellectually, can excel at guard.

Some make the argument that Tyron's recent injury record means Tyler will eventually have to play tackle ... so why not get that process started? But if Tyron goes down, the move can be made then. In the interim - and fingers crossed that nobody, Tyron or otherwise gets hurt - the "Best 5'' is best.

There has been media talk of going in a different direction than this. And there has been talk about "position flex'' and such from the team. But just as there is no reason not to play the best safeties or the best linebackers, there is no reason to pass on playing the best O-lineman at spots at which they can win.

Assuming Steele's return to health by the start of the season, he can win at right tackle, Tyron can win left tackle, and as the film shows, Tyler Smith can be a dominator at left guard ... a "best 1'' inside the Cowboys' "Best 5.''

MISCELLANEOUS ... An underrated part of the new "Texas Coast Offense'' is about protections; coach Mike McCarthy is looking for even more physicality upfront in this scheme ... In addition to Martin wanting a new deal, CowboysSI.com has reported that Dallas is in talks with Steele. And Biadasz could end up with an extension this summer as well ... Matt Farniok has made himself into a player as an interior swing guy (center and guard) ... Matt Waletzko could be the swing tackle and Josh Ball is working at guard and tackle. ... Dark horses here? Undrafted rookie free agent T.J. Bass and Alex Lindstrom, a rookie free agent from last year who plays center ... McCarthy talks a lot about a healthy offensive line being directly tied to a team’s overall success. But "being healthy'' and "having continuity'' can be the same thing. That's another way "Best 5'' matters: Pick it and go.

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Harrison Reno
HARRISON RENO

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