The Dallas Cowboys’ didn’t bring their Sunday best to Thursday Night Football, but you take wins when you can get them, right? Winning on the road in the NFL isn’t easy, and the Cowboys did it on a short week in choppy conditions.
The main goal was to get out of dodge with a victory and no crippling injuries. While the Cowboys avoided multiple scares in the form of Nahshon Wright and Jayron Kearse — even Dak Prescott came up gimpy after a sack — starting center Tyler Biadasz got rolled up on violently while holding a block in the second half.
It looked frighteningly similar to Terence Steele’s injury, which turned out to be a season-ending torn ACL and MCL. Luckily for Dallas and Biadasz, though, the initial belief is he suffered a high-ankle sprain.
While obviously not ideal, offensive linemen return from high-ankle sprains quicker than most positions. We’re probably looking at a 2-3 week recovery timeline, meaning he could return for the first or second round of the playoffs.
Assuming Biadasz is forced to miss time, let’s take a look at how the Cowboys might deploy their offensive line in his absence.
Cowboys are upbeat today about center Tyler Biadasz’s outlook following an MRI this morning. He suffered a high ankle sprain in Thursday’s win over Titans, and the goal is for Biadasz to be available for the team’s first playoff game, person familiar with situation said.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 30, 2022
Tyler Biadasz injury: Projecting Cowboys starting offensive line without their starting center
Losing another offensive linemen before the playoffs sucks, but Dallas has the requisite reinforcements to get by without Biadasz. That’s why you go out and draft Tyler Smith and sign a future Hall of Famer in Jason Peters.
After Biadasz exited, the Cowboys’ OL looked like this (from left to right): Jason Peters at left tackle, Tyler Smith shifted from LT to left guard, Connor McGovern moved from left guard to center, Zack Martin at right guard, and Tyron Smith at right tackle, which is where he started the game.
Go figure Tyler and Tyron Smith are both on the field at the same time, and neither is playing left tackle, right? Again, that’s the value of Peters.
McGovern is the clear favorite to fill in for Biadasz at center. The former third-round pick has largely played guard over his first three seasons, but center isn’t exactly a foreign language to him.
With McGovern shifting under center, Tyler Smith and Jason Peters could form a platoon at left guard and left tackle depending on the matchup. That assumes the Cowboys stick with Tyron Smith at RT while he gets his legs back underneath him after he missed the first 14 games on injured reserve.
Tyler Biadasz got rolled up pretty violently on Cowboys last play.
— Joey Hayden (@_joeyhayden) December 30, 2022
Jake Ferguson immediately waves to sideline. pic.twitter.com/behwRFozO1
We suppose the elder Smith could go back to LT, but he’s played exclusively right tackle since returning and has taken his lumps in pass pro.
Bottom line? Biadasz’s injury isn’t the end of the world. Some Cowboys analysts would argue Martin, the Smith’s, Peters, and McGovern form Dallas’ five-best offensive linemen. With the playoffs two weeks away, though, Mike McCarthy might not have the luxury of resting his starting linemen in Week 18.
While still a talented five, you don’t want their first action working together being in a playoff game, especially with a new center.
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