The Dallas Cowboys still have a bright future at offensive line
By Nick Crain
With arguably the most talented offensive line in the NFL on paper, the Dallas Cowboys were among the best in the NFL. What made them so great?
The Dallas Cowboys are sending three members of their star-studded offensive line to Orlando for the 2020 Pro Bowl. Zack Martin, Travis Frederick, and Tyron Smith will represent the Cowboys on January 26. All three of these are guys who are not strangers to this honor.
In the rush game, in front of running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, the offensive line pushed to produce 2,153 rushing yards in the 2019 season. This put them in the top five in the entire league. Even with a midseason injury to left guard Connor Williams, as a collective group they were able to get the job done. They also were a big part of the impressive 44 rushing first downs.
In the pass game, the Cowboys’ offensive line allowed the second fewest sacks in the entire league at 23. Coming off of a 2018 season in which they allowed quarterback Dak Prescott to be sacked much too many times. The 2019 offensive line was a huge reason why the Cowboys had one of the best passing games in the NFL as well as a top overall offense.
La’el Collins was another exceptional lineman for Dallas whose greatness did not result in a Pro Bowl berth. On the season, Collins was certainly among the best right tackles in the entire NFL, proving he was worth the brand new contract he earned in the offseason.
Next season, when fully healthy, Dallas will once again have a top offensive line in the NFL. Although several members of the core are aging, Connor Williams as well as 2019 third round draft pick Connor McGovern out of Penn State. McGovern was placed on the injured reserve in September 1 and was unable to play at all in the 2019 season due to a torn pectoral muscle.
While many other positions are an issue heading into the 2020 season due to needing to re-sign players and worrying about available salary cap space, the offensive line may be the most stable positional group on the entire roster.
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With four Pro Bowl caliber linemen as well as young guys to fill in the gaps as well as a solid rotation of backups, the Dallas Cowboys have an extremely bright future when it comes to offensive line. Protecting Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott will be crucial down the road as the Cowboys will look to have a redemption year in the 2020 season in attempt to make a push for the Super Bowl.