4 options for the Cowboys at swing tackle other than Josh Ball
By Randy Gurzi
When the Dallas Cowboys selected Josh Ball in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, there was an expectation that he would quickly become their swing tackle. Ball was seen as an incredible talent but he found himself in trouble off the field and left Duke University amid allegations of dating violence.
He went the community college route before heading to Marshall. Eventually, he was drafted by Dallas but missed his rookie campaign due to an injury. After essentially redshirting his first pro season, Ball finally made his debut this preseason, and the results weren’t great when he was on the field.
With the Cowboys usually needing to turn to their swing tackle several times per season, this should be a cause for concern. That’s why they should kick the tires on these three replacement options while giving Ball more time to develop.
Josh Ball is a really, really bad plan at swing tackle.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) August 14, 2022
Somehow he is the only option that the Cowboys have at the moment.
4 swing tackle options for the Cowboys other than Josh Ball
4. Bryan Bulaga
It’s safe to say Bryan Bulaga struggled the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. A former starting right tackle for the Green Bay Packers, Bulaga spent 10 seasons working for current Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy. He also spent a couple of those years with offensive line coach Joe Philbin, who was the offensive coordinator and interim head coach when McCarthy was let go.
Bulaga left Green Bay in 2019, which was the offseason following McCarthy’s firing. He signed a three-year deal worth $10 million with the Chargers but spent most of 2021 on the IR.
His signing might not sound ideal considering he hasn’t played at a high level as of late and has injury concerns, but he knows the coaches and would be able to pick things up quickly. Plus, at this rate, it seems like anything would be an improvement over Ball. For that reason, he should at least get a look.