The Dallas Cowboys were bound to keep one of T.J. Bass or Brock Hoffman this offseason. Anything less would have been illogical, but this front office has been prone to throwing logic out the window here and there.
Bass was ultimately kept by way of the second-round restricted free agency tender. And that decision looks pretty smart in hindsight given All-Pro guard Tyler Smith could miss more than a month of the season after undergoing thumb surgery.
But the Cowboys' foresight with Bass runs deeper than that. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that Bass generated trade interest throughout the offseason. Dallas had no interest in a deal.
"The Cowboys received trade inquiries for Bass during the offseason and at roster cut-downs but told teams he was off limits," Fowler wrote. "That decision paid off. Now, he steps into a starter's role for the short term."
Cowboys would have been foolish to trade T.J. Bass
Well, thank goodness that didn't happen. Could you imagine the panic meter for the season if Dallas didn't have Bass to slot in at left guard because the front office decided to trade him? We'd probably be talking about Nick Leverett playing center and Cooper Beebe shifting to LG.
It's easy to forget since Beebe has played center since becoming a Cowboy, but he played every offensive line position in college except center. He totaled 1,847 snaps at left guard, so he'd hopefully be capable of making the switch. But reshuffling two positions to replace one injured starter is exactly the kind of domino effect the Cowboys avoided by keeping Bass.
It's not confirmed on the depth chart, but Bass is unofficially Dallas' primary backup at all three interior positions, including center. He's yet to take a regular-season snap at center, but he's played 490 snaps at left guard and 515 at right guard.
Bass stepped up last season when Tyler Booker suffered a high-ankle sprain. He came through again during Tyler Guyton's precarious late-season absence, when Dallas kicked Tyler Smith out to left tackle and needed someone to play left guard.
It's hardly a surprise that other teams were interested in trading for Bass. He's steady as a rock, and offensive line depth is at a premium across the NFL. That would also explain why Dallas was able to get something in return for Nate Thomas, who was going to be cut before the Houston Texans called.
Cowboys' backups behind T.J. Bass inspire zero confidence
Trading Bass would have left the Cowboys with the following interior linemen behind Tyler Smith, Copper Beebe, and Tyler Booker:
- Nick Leverett
- Ajani Cornelius
- Laken Tomlinson
That's a five-alarm fire.
Leverett impressed this summer and ultimately booted Trevor Keegan off the team altogether, but he's appeared in only 10 games over the last three seasons. He's a fine emergency option, but not someone you'd have much confidence starting.
The same goes for Cornelius, who has one appearance in two seasons. Drafted as a tackle out of Rhode Island after previously playing at Oregon, he made the switch to guard this offseason. He put some decent film on tape in the preseason, but here's a huge difference between holding your own in August and being trusted to protect Dak Prescott when the games count.
Unlike Leverett and Cornelius, Tomlinson has ample starting experience. He was a borderline Pro Bowler early in his career with San Francisco (playing next to Trent Williams might have helped), but his play has really tailed off in recent years.
Tomlinson would probably be the next man up behind Leverett, but keeping Bass means the Cowboys don't have to find out how much Tomlinson has left in the tank. Instead, they can replace Tyler Smith with a player who's already proven he can hold his own in this offense.
The second-round tender is more money than what Jerry and Stephen Jones would like to spend on a backup, but Bass is worth every penny. It's a fully guaranteed $5.76 million salary, giving the 27-year-old the ninth-highest cap hit on the team for the 2026 season.
The season hasn't even started, and Bass is already worth every penny. Good thing the Cowboys didn't trade him.
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