After another season that came and went without a playoff berth, Dallas Cowboys fans can expect several roster changes to impact all three facets of the game.
While the offense was nowhere near as concerning as the defense during the 2025 campaign, some key questions on that side of the ball will need to be answered during the offseason. With free agency less than one month away, all eyes are on the situations involving George Pickens and Javonte Williams. However, another decision along the offensive line should be on the fan base's radar as well.
The Cowboys will likely have to choose between two interior offensive linemen this offseason: T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman. Honestly, the case can be made for either player to be retained in Dallas, but for the sake of this conversation, Hoffman seems the safest bet to return this offseason.
Brock Hoffman Too Valuable a Depth Piece for Cowboys to Lose In Free Agency
The Hoffman vs. Bass argument could be one of the toughest calls for the Cowboys to make this offseason. Both players provide the coaching staff with the ability to plug them in at multiple spots up front. The fact that both players are restricted free agents, too, only helps the franchise's odds of working out a deal. It is Hoffman, though, who makes the most sense to bring back this offseason.
Hoffman has played for Dallas in every game over the last three seasons, including 16 total starts, seven of which came this past season while filling in for an injured Cooper Beebe. That type of durability, combined with the reputation he has built for himself with the Cowboys thanks to his physicality up front, makes the former Virginia Tech standout a valuable piece of the puzzle.
While Hoffman is unlikely to crack the starting lineup as long as the trio of Beebe, Tyler Booker, and Tyler Smith remain intact at the two guard spots and center, respectively, there is little reason for Dallas to let him get away as a restricted free agent. Given that the lowest tender offer Dallas can make is worth $3.4 million, the odds of the front office looking to secure that deal with Hoffman over Bass, as he would seemingly be more in line for the second-round tender offer worth $5.6 million.
The biggest factor at play in Bass being more likely to leave than Hoffman is that Dallas would be less inclined to match any offer sheet for the former Oregon Ducks standout, as he has less experience playing center than Hoffman. That, and the lower potential price point, make the more versatile lineman the better fit moving forward.
Time will tell whether or not head coach Brian Schottenheimer, owner/general manager Jerry Jones, and the rest of the Cowboys' braintrust feel the same way.