Blogging The Boys
Offensive line is going to require some work from the Cowboys this offseason.
The Dallas Cowboys suffered a big blow to their roster when Zack Martin announced his intention to retire from the NFL. In 11 seasons with the team he received nine All-Pro nods and nine Pro Bowl selections. A future first-ballot hall of fame player is hard to replace on the offensive line. Truthfully, there is no replacing Zack Martin. Throughout his career he only had seven holding penalties, two less than the amount of All-Pro selections he received.
Even if Martin hadn’t retired from the NFL, offensive line was a need for the team this offseason. Right tackle Terence Steele was a liability for the team, finishing the season with a 67.0 PFF grade. His 57.5 pass blocking grade ranked 90th in the NFL. Left tackle Tyler Guyton struggled mightily in his rookie season. He accumulated 14 penalties and finished with a PFF grade of 49.4, ranking 116th in the league.
Now that Martin has retired, the need for an offensive lineman in the NFL Draft has risen astronomically. While many people want the Cowboys to go with a flashy pick like running back or wide receiver, it may be in the team’s best interest to spend another early-round pick on an offensive lineman. The front office can look at the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles as inspiration for why it is so important. The Eagles dominated opposing teams this season in the run game not just because running back Saquon Barkley is a generational talent, but they had arguably the best offensive line across the league.
There are several players who could make an immediate impact on the offensive line for the Cowboys in the upcoming draft. In the first round, tackles Will Campbell (LSU) and Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas) make sense. If the team wants to add a guard, Tyler Booker out of Alabama or the two Georgia guards (Tate Ratledge and Dylan Fairchild) would make sense for the team.
Adding highly-touted skill positions in the draft is always exciting from a fan perspective, but to get the most out of a quarterback and his skill positions, the offensive line has to be consistent at the line of scrimmage. It is a pressing need for the Cowboys this offseason.
