5 Cowboys red flags from 2021 season that led to playoff loss

Cowboys Red Flag No. 2 – No Competition at the LG and C Position

Once former center Travis Frederick retired at the end of the 2019 season, the Cowboys began the search for their next All-Pro at the position. What better way to replace Frederick than by drafting another center from Wisconsin?

In the 2020 draft, Jerry Jone traded up for center Tyler Biadasz of Wisconsin in the fourth round. Dallas thought they found their “heir apparent,” but after recovering from a midseason injury, Biadasz was benched in favor of former big man “Jumbo” Joe Looney.

2020 backup quarterback Andy Dalton did not like how Biadasz snapped the ball in shotgun and was more comfortable with Looney. Not the type of thing you want to hear about your center. Dalton must have known something the coaching staff did not. There were numerous times this season where Prescott would be chasing after snaps or losing the ball, as he did against the New York Giants.

On top of the snapping issues, Biadasz and his next-door neighbor, guard Connor Williams, struggled with strength and were constantly pushed into the pocket. Some of their biggest lowlights came against defensive tackles Javon Hargrave, Ndamukong Suh, and Vita Vea.

Halfway through the season, the coaches had enough of Williams’ play and penalties, which I will get to, and switched him out for guard Connor McGovern. The play at the left guard position did not improve, so the switch was made back to Williams in hopes he’d corrected his problems.

Unfortunately, nothing changed, and Prescott was under constant pressure against San Francisco, a unit that registered five sacks against the Cowboys. With Williams being a free agent, the worst part is that Dallas will most likely move on and need to replace him anyway next season. Maybe if there had been more competition in training camp for both positions, the Cowboys could have run away with a win on Sunday.