Draft For Need? Cowboys Admit 'Decent Chance' Cowboys Dallas Takes Offensive Lineman in 1st Round

The Dallas Cowboys have offensive line needs and with the draft being stacked with talent, EVP Stephen Jones might have just given away the franchise's first-round plan.

Philadelphia Eagles v Dallas Cowboys / Richard Rodriguez/GettyImages

The decision to let Dallas Cowboys and future Hall of Fame left tackle Tyron Smith walk out the door in free agency is a move that many fans are still coming to terms with.

With Dak Prescott's blindside now needing a new protector, attention has shifted to the stacked offensive line class in this year's draft.

Tyler Smith, who was drafted to replace Tyron at left tackle, was used at guard to superb effect as he earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2023, and it is that versatility that gives Dallas options when looking at the draft.

Currently holding the No. 24 overall pick, the Cowboys could still see some highly talented linemen available and despite having several interesting prospects already on the roster, Executive Vice President Stephen Jones says there's a good chance Dallas selects a lineman high in the draft.

“At the end of the day versatility is a huge thing and anytime you got a play like Tyler [Smith] who's shown that he can play at a high level at tackle or guard, that brings versatility,” Jones said at the NFL owners meeting. “We have some young guys there like T.J. Bass that stepped up and played well for us last year, we're looking forward to a full offseason with [Matt] Waletzko again and seeing what Asim Richards does and we'll have [Josh] Ball back in the mix again and see how these guys pan out as we work into the offseason. But [we] feel really good about them and at the same time I'm sure because of the depth at that position, probably a pretty good chance that we an offensive lineman pretty high in this draft.”

Philadelphia Eagles v Dallas Cowboys / Richard Rodriguez/GettyImages

Oregon's Jackson Powers-Johnson, Arizona's Jordan Morgan, Georgia's Amarius Mims and Washington's Troy Fautanu loom as the likely candidates for the Cowboys to select in the first round. All would be a good addition to the offensive line, and all could be viably seen as a Day 1 starter despite the likes of Bass, Waletzko and Richards still on the roster.

The free agency period has been as poor as a Dallas fan could have hoped for after the playoff debacle against the Green Bay Packers as the thought was that the Cowboys would try and improve the roster.

Instead, starters and rotational players have walked out the door, with the franchise's plan appearing to be to pick off low-cost free agents and then add and hit on selections through the draft.

Head coach Mike McCarthy stated the team is "definitely improving" right now which is hard to believe right now, and with a huge Tyron Smith-sized hole at left tackle, we finally have some clarity on Dallas' offseason plans.

Despite it being something we already knew as soon as Tyron walked out the door.