A lot of Dallas Cowboys fans may have given a kidney for a swing tackle or depth at the position after a rough preseason. Jerry Jones answered the fanbase's prayers on Saturday with a trade for former Pittsburgh Steelers first-rounder Broderick Jones, whom we brought up as an option earlier that day.
Dallas may have slightly overpaid for what amounts to a backup, but it's better to get out ahead of these potential problems before they become real issues. Nate Thomas and Drew Shelton were a nightmare duo behind Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele this preseason, so something had to be done.
Broderick Jones' arrival in Dallas, however, means that Thomas has probably reached the end of the road with America's Team. Shelton could potentially go as well, and there's an argument that it should be him instead. But Thomas is more likely to be on the chopping block as a result of the trade.
Cowboys' Broderick Jones trade is bad news for incumbent Nate Thomas
Thomas fell from grace this offseason, as in the spring he was considered a candidate to take the left tackle job from Guyton. And while that always seemed like somewhat of a motivation tactic, it was definitely a conversation being had.
Just months later, he may not even be on the 53-man roster.
With Jones undoubtedly serving as the OT3 after Dallas gave up a third- and sixth-rounder for him and a fourth-rounder, the Cowboys are in a bit of a crunch. They can't keep Guyton, Steele, Jones, Thomas and Shelton, so at least one of them has to go. It won't be the former three.
Shelton's advantage is that he was a fourth-round draft pick this past spring, so the Dallas front office may not want to admit its mistake so soon. The optics of taking a player on Day 3 and immediately kicking them to the curb are not good, even if Shelton doesn't, right now, look like a future contributor.
Based on how the two players performed this season, neither is really worthy of a roster spot, but Thomas played markedly better at left tackle than he did before the coaching staff mixed things up and put him on the right side. However, Shelton being a more recent draft pick may matter more.
Should Broderick Jones or Drew Shelton be cut?
Here's how the two young tackles compared in the three-game exhibition slate.
PFF Grade | Nate Thomas | Drew Shelton |
|---|---|---|
Overall | 54.6 | 43.6 |
Run Block | 54.9 | 60.1 |
Pass Block | 60.6 | 25.0 |
These numbers make it clear that it should be Shelton on the chopping block, not Thomas. There were times during the preseason that Shelton just looked unplayable, as he couldn't deal with the quickness or the brute strength of even backup NFL edge rushers. That's a major concern.
Thomas, for all his struggles, has some skins on the wall at the NFL level and didn't look nearly as bad, even if he wasn't a net positive for the Cowboys' offense. And while that experience should (and still could) work in his favor, it's more likely that Dallas doesn't want to give up on Shelton so soon.
So, with roster cutdowns looming on Sunday, fans can expect Thomas to be the casualty of the Cowboys trading for Broderick Jones. Is that the right decision? It doesn't seem like it. Dallas could always surprise us. But Thomas' time at The Star may be done, at least on the active roster, for now.
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