There's been a lot of attention on the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line this summer, so maybe we should be talking more about the position coach? Conor Riley, entering his second season in Dallas, will be heavily judged by the front line's results in 2026.
Previously a college coach only, Riley was plucked from Kansas State last year as part of the Cowboys' staff overhaul under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer. A longtime o-line coach, Riley had one year as the Wildcats' offensive coordinator before taking a job under Dallas OC Klayton Adams.
With one year already influencing the position and several young, developing talents in his care this season, Riley's stock will rise or fall based on how the group performs. Even inherited players like Tyler Gutyon and Cooper Beebe, drafted during Mike McCarthy's final season, will now have had more time under Riley's tutelage than Dallas' previous OL coach, Mike Solari.
Conor Riley has already had mixed results with the Cowboys
There have already been good things to talk about since Riley took over. Tyler Smith remains a dominant All-Pro guard, and Tyler Booker just had a fantastic rookie season. Booker's hot start is a huge feather in Riley's cap; He ranked 16th among all NFL guards in just his first season, per PFF.
While not as fast or as far as we'd like to see, Tyler Guyton has had positive development each of the last two seasons. Staying healthy seems to be the biggest issue now. Hopefully, we'll be able to better evaluate him in the regular season. Same with Beebe, who is reportedly on the rise in his third season but remains mostly unseen after getting starter treatment in the preseason.
Beyond the starters, T.J. Bass is a backup who gets starter-quality grades when he plays. Second-year prospect Ajani Cornelius made a seemingly successful transition from tackle to guard this year, arguably saving his roster spot in Dallas.
At the same time, veteran right tackle Terence Steele seems to be regressing under Adams and Riley's watch. Still just 29, Steele shouldn't be falling apart for any physical reasons. It could entirely be on the player, but the fact he's now competing with a first-round bust in Broderick Jones is a move in the wrong direction.
We also saw Nate Thomas take a big backward step this offseason, to the point he lost the swing job and got traded away. Again, that may not be on Riley. But we have to look at the whole picture, good or bad, if we're going to fairly judge the coach.
And then there's fourth-round rookie Drew Shelton, who has been excoriated this summer for poor play. Shelton was always going to be a raw prospect, but the level criticism is unusually high. That Dallas is going to have a supposedly useless player taking up a roster spot this year isn't Riley's decision, but it's not exactly a win for his resume.
The regular season will be the real test for Conor Riley
A few months from now, a lot of our recent talking points will be forgotten. Nobody's going to weep for Nate Thomas' demise or care that Drew Shelton was inactive every week if Tyler Guyton has a strong third year.
The five starters, and maybe Broderick Jones, are now the focal point. Unlike most other positions, they will play nearly all of the snaps when healthy.
Even then, we'll need to be balanced in our evaluation of Riley. He'll have been given three first-round picks and a third-rounder in Beebe to work with. Even an average O-line coach should be able to get results from that. And the cornerstone of the group, Tyler Smith, was already an All-Pro before Riley got here.
Riley can prove his worth, though, in some of those key individual developments.
If Guyton and Beebe make big third-year leaps, Riley deserves a lot of credit. If Booker doesn't have a sophomore slump but instead surges towards All-Pro consideration, again, Riley has been his only NFL position coach.
If Broderick Jones ends up taking the RT job and showing growth from his Pittsburgh days, or if Steele just positively responds to the wake-up call, we'd again applaud Riley's efforts.
We're still getting to know Brian Schottenheimer and all of the coaches who came in under him. Conor Riley is no exception; just his second year in the NFL. If the Cowboys are going to be competitive, the offensive line has to be one of the leading units.
If that happens, or if it doesn't, our perception of Riley will be heavily influenced in 2026.
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