Cowboys Draft: Is Offensive Tackle the Third Greatest Need?
By Reid Hanson
The Dallas Cowboys have a well-documented list of needs heading into the draft and offensive tackle may very well be one of their biggest.
The Dallas Cowboys head into the NFL draft this coming week with needs aplenty. While pass-rushers, cornerbacks, and safeties are dominating the coverage, offensive tackle may in fact be one of the greatest needs of all.
The Dallas Cowboys model for success is built around its offense – specifically that of the running game. Armed with what most consider the best running game in football, the Cowboys are designed to dominate the ball and score points.
The idea that a defense’s best friend is a great offense does not fall on deaf ears at The Star in Frisco. Sure, improving a talent-starved defense needs to headline the to-do list, but so does maintaining the dominance of the running game.
Maintaining the dominance on offense is imperative to the Cowboys’ success in 2017.
With the sudden retirement of starting right tackle Doug Free, the dominance of the offensive line is now in jeopardy. If the Dallas Cowboys can’t appropriately replace Free, they risk losing their single biggest strength. In turn, placing more of a burden on the defense.
In other words, it’s a whole lot easier playing defense when you have a lead than if you’re losing.
Not many will argue that the Cowboys need to upgrade pass-rusher and cornerback first and foremost (cornerback has the greatest need and pass-rusher is the most important). But after that it has to be offensive tackle.
Internal Options
The Cowboys have some internal options that could somewhat replace Doug Free. Former third round pick, Chaz Green, will no doubt be given first crack at RT1. But two years into his pro career, Green has spent more time injured than healthy; a trend that followed him from college.
Behind Green is free agent signing, Byron Bell. Bell comes to Dallas with years of experience playing virtually every position across the line. The only problem is he wasn’t very good at it. If Bell is the Cowboys solution to Free’s retirement, then expect a regression in production this season. Bell is much better suited for depth purposes, not starting.
Related Story: Time to Move La'el Collins to RT
If all else fails, La’el Collins, a former standout right tackle at LSU, could make the move back to tackle from guard. He’s the most gifted of the bunch and even has the potential to upgrade the right tackle spot. But so far the Cowboys have been hesitant to call for the position switch and seem to be prefer Collins at guard.
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The Draft
All of this is why some are seeing offensive line a potential draft target as early as Day 2 for the Cowboys. Maintaining the dominance on offense is imperative to the Cowboys’ success in 2017. As much as they’d love to upgrade the defense, they cannot afford any slippage on offense.
The safety position has needs. Dallas lost two players, Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox, who played a considerable amount of snaps (676 and 557, respectively) but I’m of the feeling that internal candidates can get the job done and late-round options will be available in the draft to develop.
For my money, offensive tackle even trumps the needs of safety, making tackle the third greatest priority.
The thing to watch is how Doug Free handles his retirement paperwork. Some are of the belief that Free is not 100% committed to retirement. It’s also possible Free is just posturing for a new deal or even trying to find a way out of the tiresome offseason workload. Maybe once training camp closes, Free will express interest again.
Next: Are The Cowboys Quietly Targeting Offensive Tackle Early in the Draft?
Whatever the situation is with Free, the Cowboys cannot afford slippage in play on the offensive line. They need to be sure they preserve the backbone of the Cowboys team before they get too caught up in upgrading elsewhere.