The de facto veteran leader of the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line wasn’t up to par this season, and it now appears Jerry Jones could be leaning toward keeping right tackle Terence Steele after all.
Steele was the lone Cowboys offensive lineman who consistently raised concerns this season, particularly in pass protection. Pro Football Focus graded him at 54.9 in that area, ranking 75th of 89 tackles, while his 70.2 run-blocking grade told a more forgiving story. Still, keeping Dak Prescott upright is paramount as he approaches his age-33 season.
Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan says that the Cowboys could get rid of Steele, but says the problems would eventually trump any solutions.
"If you're moving on from Steele, you can't run (Nate) Thomas and (Tyler) Guyton out there. That's not possible to do that. So, if I tell you, you can move on from Steele, fine. Open that up. You get $9 million, whatever it is. Are you then comfortable saying, I'm going to spend $15 to $20 million on a free agent tackle, or I have to use one of my first-round picks on a tackle?"
Cowboys cutting Terence Steele would do more harm than good
Belt also named the Colts' right tackle, Braden Smith, as a potential option to replace Steele, as he is set to hit free agency this offseason. Smith has never been to a Pro Bowl, but has been a serviceable RT since he was drafted in the second round in 2018.
Smith was also coached in Indianapolis by current Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, who was the Colts' assistant offensive line coach for two years before moving to tight ends coach in 2021 and '22.
However, he might not fit Dallas' budget.
Spotrac predicts that Smith will sign a three-year, $40.6 million deal, which equates to an average of $13.5 million per year. As Belt noted in the soundbite, the Cowboys probably have too many moves to make on defense to justify giving Smith that much money.
Cutting Steele would increase the likelihood of Dallas drafting (another) offensive lineman in the first round after taking Tyler Guyton 29th overall in 2024 and Tyler Booker 12th overall in 2025. With several holes on defense, America's Team has no business being in the OT market in Round 1.
Steele will be one of the defining decisions of the Cowboys’ offseason. He may have already played his final snap in Dallas, but lingering holes on the defensive side of the ball could tempt the Joneses to keep him, which would be a consequence of their own roster mismanagement.