The Dallas Cowboys concerns with Terence Steele

La’el Collins wasn’t the answer. That much the Dallas Cowboys were sure of when they cut bait with their long-time right tackle in the offseason. Collins’ health status, off-field issues, and commitment to the game all contributed to his release.

The possibility that Collins’ replacement was already on the roster just made the decision all that much easier to make. His replacement, Terence Steele, was younger, cheaper, and generally more likeable than Collins.

The Dallas Cowboys cannot afford for Terence Steele to to plateau in his development

In the offseason of 2021, Terence Steele was the offseason darling of the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff. He was a smart kid and a hard worker that offensive line coach Joe Philbin immediately took a shine to.

His improvement from 2020 to 2021 was extraordinary given how poorly he looked as a rookie. The undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech was an athletic replacement to the powerful Collins.

Behind Steele, the running game thrived. And given his upward career trajectory, the hope was his development would continue in 2022 and Terence Steele would become the long-term answer at right tackle.

The jury remains out on that question but it’s become clear the issues that held Steele back in 2021 are the same issues that threaten his effectiveness in 2022: power.

Pass-rushers learned early on last season that if they hit Steele with a power move, he’s likely to struggle. While Steele was an above average defender against the speed rush, he’s well below average against the bull-rush. In fact, he’s been a straight-up liability in that regard.

In camp, it looks like it could be more of the same. It’s still early, and there have only been a handful of full speed padded practices, but early returns are troubling. Steele is susceptible to power moves and offers little in the form of resistance. The Dallas Cowboys know this and you can be assured the Dallas Cowboys opponents know this.

To make matters worse, the Dallas Cowboys have seemingly put all their eggs in the Steele basket. With no proven tackle waiting in the wings, there aren’t many options should Steele fall on his face this season.

With rookie at guard, and a floundering center in the middle, the Dallas Cowboys already have enough to overcome on their offensive line. They need Steele to improve in Year 2 as a starter. Even if he can stagger into “average territory” it will be considered a win. But in order to do that he simply has to improve against the bull-rush.

All indications are the Cowboys will be run-heavy in 2022 (relatively speaking, of course). But they need Terence Steele to hold up in pass-protection when called upon, because they can’t offer tight end support every passing down.

The RT position is very concerning on the Dallas Cowboys right now. Terence Steele is displaying the same weaknesses as before and the Dallas offense cannot survive subpar play again from the right side.