There is a lot to be excited about after the first preseason outing for the Dallas Cowboys. Camden Brown continues to be the fastest-rising player in camp, and the defense already looks so much better in terms of communication and tackling.
But one glaring issue coming out of Saturday's contest against the Seahawks was the lack of offensive line depth, specifically at offensive tackle. Dallas has been fortunate over the last few years to have quality depth with players like Brock Hoffman and Chuma Edoga.
However, there is no longer that type of depth across the offensive line, and it must be addressed.
The Dallas Cowboys have a major need for a swing tackle
The expectation was that Nate Thomas would compete with Tyler Guyton for the starting offensive tackle job going into training camp. And after one padded practice, Schottenheimer essentially called off the competition.
Thomas had not progressed enough, nor did he show enough consistency to warrant more looks with the starting offensive line.
Those issues lingered in the preseason as he really struggled in the first quarter against (somewhat) quality competition. He did settle down in the second half, but the talent across from him also decreased.
Could it have been nerves as to why Thomas struggled early? Sure, but it was a rough outing nonetheless. And that can happen for a third-year player trying to carve out a role in the offense.
The more pressing concern might be Drew Shelton, whom the Cowboys selected in Round 4 of the 2026 NFL Draft. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, several people inside Dallas' war room wanted to select Shelton as early as Day 2, as they believe he can be a starting tackle in the NFL.
Drew Shelton may not be ready to be the Cowboys' swing tackle
While we shouldn’t overreact to one preseason performance, he’s had a rough start to his NFL career. Shelton has reportedly been very inconsistent during training camp practices and looked overwhelmed by the Seahawks in the preseason.
He allowed three pressures on 25 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, and surrendered two QB hits along with a false start penalty.
The Cowboys believe that Shelton has the necessary athleticism to be a good player in the NFL, but he must develop some upper-body strength if he is to ever become a starter. You can’t judge a player off of one preseason game, but it was a pretty rough debut for the former Penn State star.
The overarching take isn’t that Shelton is a bust (way too early to say this) or that Thomas has regressed, but it’s that Dallas does not have a capable swing tackle on their roster. That is an issue considering Guyton has not been the pinnacle of health so far in his NFL career.
You can bet that Dallas will be searching the waiver wire and exploring some potential trades to find better offensive line depth before Week 1. Someone like Broderick Jones, who has fallen out of favor in Pittsburgh, seems like a potential trade candidate if Dallas is serious about upgrading their backup tackle spot. Â
Obviously, Dallas is hoping that Thomas and Shelton can improve in Week 2 of the preseason, but it was a shockingly poor performance by both players coming out of the weekend.
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