Dallas Cowboys: 3 whose stock rose Week 5, and 2 who fell

Dallas Cowboys Stock Down: C, Tyler Biadasz

So far Tyler Biadasz has proven to be by far the weakest link along the Cowboys’ offensive line. The second-year center from Wisconsin has started just nine games in his young career but he may not start too many more if he keeps playing at the level he has to open the season.

To start, Biadasz snaps were all over the place on Sunday afternoon. Prescott even fumbled one of them resulting in a turnover. Admittedly, Dak should have been able to hang onto that particular snap, but there’s no denying that Biadasz should have gotten it off cleaner.

I’d have an easier time letting this one go if these snaps weren’t a consistent issue for him. Instead, every time the football is snapped it feels like an adventure. Adventure may be great when it comes to the next Indiana Jones movie, but that’s not what I am looking for from a routine part of my starting center’s job.

It’s not just his bad snaps though, Biadasz is lagging behind in every phase of the game. According to PFF, he ranks 29th out of 35 centers. His atrocious 38.8 pass-blocking grade is third-worst among anyone at his position. At times it feels like he’s seemingly just inviting pressure right into the pocket.

His three penalties are tied for the NFL lead among centers. At one point on Sunday afternoon, an official actually called a false start penalty on “everyone but the center”.  When that’s a real call from the referee, you know you have a problem.

Something else to note is that it isn’t like the Cowboys don’t have any options behind Biadasz to make a move if they want to. They can always turn to Connor McGovern whenever they feel he’s ready to take snaps at center. Dallas drafted McGovern in the third round out of Penn State back in 2019, and he’s shown some versatility and a lot of talent.

McGovern has mostly played guard throughout his time in the NFL, starting eight games there last season after Zack Martin went down. When Martin was sidelined to open the season, McGovern again stepped in and played very well against a Tampa Bay team that has one of the best front sevens in football. However, he played some center for the Nittany Lions back in college and has been getting some work there again in practice.

Additionally, the team also made it a priority to give Connor Williams snaps at center over the offseason in the event that Biadasz did not win the starting job. While Williams’ play at guard has left a bit to be desired, he has more or less performed to expectations and has been serviceable.

I am not completely ready to give up on Biadasz, I still think he’s a talented player who needs time to develop. However, his play has been a consistent issue for the Cowboys this season and he’s easily been one of the weakest starters on the entire roster. With potentially more competent options waiting in the wings, you have to wonder how much longer he is going to lay claim to the starting center position.