The Dallas Cowboys top five position battles of 2017
Potential Right Offensive Tackle Candidates
La’el Collins- 6’4″, 315 pounds
Collins would make for a great fit here, but he is currently projected as the team’s starting left guard- which would make for another vacancy along the offensive line. Collins has shown flashes of the ability that earned him a first round grade before a bizarre situation led to him going undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Collins has impressive quickness for a man of his size and has several impressive highlight reel pancake blocks and the ability to run up the field and find guys to clear out for running backs. He has the size, quickness, and power to be a major upgrade at the position from a physical talent standpoint and that would likely pencil in Jonathon Cooper as the starting left guard.
Byron Bell – 6’5″, 340 pounds
Bell is an absolute mammoth of a man with legitimate NFL starting ability. He is a seven year veteran although this will be his first season with the Dallas Cowboys. Bell can certainly be a road grader in the running game but he will have to prove that he has quick enough feet to be an ideal scheme fit in the Cowboys zone blocking scheme. It would be a change of scenery going from more of a finesse right tackle in Doug Free to an ogre like Bell.
Emmett Cleary – 6’7″, 324 pounds
Cleary has ideal size and feet to be a left tackle in the NFL but he has a player that is on the Hall of Fame fast track in front of him in Dallas. Cleary served as the team’s swing tackle- the third offensive tackle that serves as the backup left and right tackle on game day, last season. Cleary will have to prove that he has the toughness to be a dominant run blocker to earn the starting job instead of being the primary backup tackle this season.
Chaz Green – 6’5″, 300 pounds
Chaz Green has been a bit of a disappointment for the Cowboys thus far in his career. Since being drafted in the third round in 2015, he has missed the majority of games and practices due to different injuries. In fact, if you include going back to his University of Florida days, Green has suffered significant injuries in four consecutive seasons.
The coaching staff loves his ability when healthy, and they proved that when they drafted him as highly as they did. Health is the key factor when it comes to Green’s candidacy as the starting right tackle. He should make a big push for the starting spot if he can simply stay in the competition throughout training camp.