By all accounts, the 2026 offseason was a success for the Dallas Cowboys. It wasn't perfect -- when is it with this front office? -- but fans are more bullish about the direction of the franchise than they've been in years.
One move critics will keep coming back to, though, is the Osa Odighizuwa trade, especially if he balls out in San Francisco. But while the spotlight will naturally fall on blockbuster decisions, the Cowboys may already be regretting a much quieter departure.
Former backup center Brock Hoffman is going to be missed more than what's being led on. That became apparent when Dallas placed veteran pickup Matt Hennessy on season-ending injured reserve with a neck injury.
Hennessy was signed to replace Hoffman, and he's already lost for the year. The Cowboys declined to tender Hoffman as a restricted free agent, paving the way for him to sign a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers and reunite with former Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy.
The Dallas Cowboys may regret letting former OL Brock Hoffman out the door
With Hennessy on the shelf, the Cowboys are probably wishing they still had Hoffman as insurance behind budding third-year center Cooper Beebe.
It sounds like T.J. Bass is the new backup center. Dallas placed a second-round tender on Bass this offseason, virtually guaranteeing his return. While the situations weren't identical, the Cowboys effectively chose Bass over Hoffman, and Bass is now Beebe's primary backup and remains the team's top reserve at guard.
Bass is the better and more versatile player, but the Cowboys could've kept Hoffman, too. Declining to tender him meant they had to negotiate a new deal to bring him back. Whether they misread his market or simply believed Hennessy was an upgrade, letting Hoffman walk hasn't aged well.
It was shocking that Hoffman didn't get more on the open market. He's just 26 years old and has experience at all three interior positions, including 684 snaps at center and 452 at right guard, per Pro Football Focus.
Hoffman played well whenever called upon, allowing just two sacks, 23 pressures, and seven quarterback hits across 695 pass-blocking snaps over three seasons, per PFF. He held his own as a run-blocker, too, accumulating a 60.0 grade on 517 snaps. That's quality play for a backup.
No one could have predicted Hennessy's season-ending injury, and the signing made plenty of sense at the time. Hindsight truly is 20/20. But with Hoffman ultimately costing just $1.7 million, the Cowboys may live to regret letting one of their most valuable backups walk for far less than expected.
Some would venture to say they already do.
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