Dallas Cowboys: 5 Role players who have stepped up big this season

Dallas Cowboys

Connor McGovern

IOL/TE/FB

Connor McGovern has been a Swiss army knife for this Dallas Cowboys offensive line. The former 3rd round pick has been used at guard, tight end, fullback, and soon center. When the Cowboys ask him to do something Connor steps up to the plate and happily executes. The crazy thing is – he executes proficiently just about everywhere.

Whether he’s playing the O-line or a “skill” position, he’s a mauler. His contributions have been invaluable across the board. By playing FB and TE he saves the Cowboys two roster spots. He’s the first alternate across the interior O-line and may soon start earning starting snaps at center depending how Tyler Biadasz does the next few weeks.

McGovern is currently the third-highest graded player on the entire Dallas Cowboys roster. He’s earned this designation by excelling in everything thrown his way.

Terence Steele

OT

Staying on the topic of offensive line, Terence Steele is a someone the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff was extremely bullish on entering the season – and for good reason – the second year undrafted tackle has been a godsend for this team here in 2021.

After La’el Collins fell to a sudden case of the suspensions, Terence Steele has kept the proverbial train on tracks. The 6-6, 310 lbs. road grader from Texas Tech has needed help from teammates but has been head and shoulders better than the 2020 edition we saw last.

This is all a far cry from last season when Steele graded as a bottom-3 OT in the NFL last year. Rated 30th in the NFL this year, Steele is one of the best run-blocking OTs in the league. Based on pass protection alone, Dallas should welcome Collins back into the fold next week, but if he needs time with conditioning, they shouldn’t feel obligated to force the starter back into the role since they such a viable option working behind him.

Given the state of affairs at OT, one could argue Terence Steele saved the Dallas Cowboys season. Considering so much of this team’s success is based on this offense’s ability to score points, Steele has been integral.

There we have it. Six games in and these are the five players I feel have stepped up the most from their role player roles. Did I miss someone? Who do you think will step up in the second half of the season?