The Landry Hat
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Dallas Cowboys hire a new offensive line coach

By Steven Mullenax

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 23: Center Travis Frederick #72 of the Dallas Cowboys calls out the defense against the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter during a preseason game on August 23, 2015 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers won 23-6. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 23: Center Travis Frederick #72 of the Dallas Cowboys calls out the defense against the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter during a preseason game on August 23, 2015 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers won 23-6. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /
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The Dallas Cowboys hired a new coach to helm one of the most dominate positional groups in all of football, their ultra-talented offensive line.

Three first round selections in four years. That’s how much the Dallas Cowboys invested in their offensive line between 2011 and 2014. And those three lineman have all become perennial Pro Bowlers ever since.

Left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick and right guard Zack Martin make up a talented trio that many considered to be the best offensive line in the NFL. But you are only as strong as your weakest link. Yet, right tackle La’el Collins would have also been a first round selection back in the 2015 NFL Draft. But a pending legal issue saw him become possibly the most coveted undrafted rookie free agent of all time.

At left guard last season, former first round selection Jonathan Cooper started between All-Pro’s in Smith and Frederick along the Cowboys O-line. Cooper’s addition essentially added five first round-level starters to one of the scariest positional groups in the league.

But that doesn’t mean this offensive line didn’t struggle last season. The position of starting left guard, which Cooper ultimately filled, was an area of indecision for this Cowboys coaching staff even into the regular season. Dallas simply couldn’t decide whom to play in that spot, with Chaz Green and Byron Bell also in the running throughout training camp and the preseason. This following the exodus of veteran Ronald Leary via free agency last offseason.

Collins made the move from left guard to right tackle in the offseason. But his transition between the two vastly different positions was not seamless. After some initial struggles, Collins’ play vastly improved. And by the end of the season, he had become a far more consistent presence along the line.

Finally, Tyron Smith struggled with various injuries in 2017 Although he did play in 13 games last year, when Smith was out of the lineup, Dallas simply didn’t possess the depth needed to adequately replace him. And the Cowboys struggled to protect second-year quarterback, Dak Prescott, because of his absence.

Last week, it was announced that the Cowboys offensive line coach, Frank Pollack, had been hired to man that same position for the Cincinnati Bengals this upcoming season. On Monday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reported that the Cowboys have hired former Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander to replace Pollack, according to an unnamed source. The two teams basically swapped coaches.

Having spent the past 23 years as the O-line coach in Cincinnati, Alexander is highly regarded as one of the top offensive line coaches in the NFL. His units are known for overachieving year-in and year-out. And considering Dallas’ current roster of lineman, this is undoubtedly the most talented group Alexander has ever had the opportunity to coach.

Next: The top 10 Dallas Cowboys to never win a Super Bowl

In 2016, Sports Illustrated named Alexander to their coaching dream team, as part of their selection of the best coaching staff in the NFL. According to SI.com, his offensive lines ranked in the league’s top 10 for fewest sacks allowed five times in the past seven years and have bolstered a 1,000-yard rusher a whopping 14 times during his tenure in Cincinnati.

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