Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster predictions: Training camp rolling

Offensive Line (9)

Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, La’el Collins, Connor Williams, Tyler Biadasz, Connor McGovern, Matt Farniok, Josh Ball, Terrence Steele

Even with Connor Williams taking snaps at center, I expect the starting lineup to Tyron Smith (LT), Connor Williams (LG), Tyler Biadasz (C), Zack Martin (RG), La’el Collins (RT).

*For the nth time, Connor McGovern is not better than Connor Williams so McGovern should not be starting at LG. No this isn’t a “to each their own” argument, there is countless film to point out the difference in play. Stop trying to force good players off the team, it’s getting irresponsibly dangerous! When Williams signs his new deal with whomever, I would be shocked if he doesn’t end up resetting the market in some capacity.*

*clears throat*

Now with my Williams vs McGovern rant out of the way allow me to explain the rest of the depth chart. The Cowboys drafted Ball with their second fourth round pick. For obvious non-football reasons, the pick shouldn’t have happened, but since it has, we simply have to live with it. Ball is immensely talented and has an incredible frame at 6-foot-7, 308 pounds. He has 35 inch arms and 10 inch hands, both of which exceed most thresholds for length. He has the frame to put on more weight and the athletic ability to match most defenders with speed and counter moves.

Terrence Steele started off the 2020 season very uninspired, but if everyone tempered their expectations to fit an undrafted free agent starting in a pandemic-ridden year, maybe they’d see the experience he got in his rookie season was actually a good thing? Now he’s at most a swing tackle, he’s bulked up and reworked his body which can only mean good things in the run game and against power rushes. He’ll always struggle with lateral agility, but that’s precisely why he’s not starting. Philbin will always have a “crush” for Steele unless he performs so incredibly awful that he isn’t fit to be a third-string tackle.

As for Matt Farniok, our seventh-round selection from Nebraska has impressed 105.3 the FAN’s, Bryan Broaddus. Relatively little was known about Farniok upon his selection so he’s as much of a surprise to us as he was to Broaddus but it seems the Cowboys are really good at finding late-round talent to fill out the back end of the offensive line depth chart.

This feels like a complete 180 considering the team that wasted their previous franchise QB’s career with offensive line play considered mediocre at best.