The Dallas Cowboys made easy work of the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, and what made the victory even sweeter was Jaishawn Barham's jaw-dropping debut.
Barham finally saw his first action as a Cowboy after a groin injury kept him out of Week 1, and his performance suggested fan expectations still aren't high enough. That's saying something given how much noise he made in Oxnard.
In 22 snaps, Barham tallied four tackles, three defensive stops, and a 90.1 player grade to lead the Cowboys, per PFF. From filling run gaps, stonewalling ball-carriers, and his awareness in coverage, the third-round pick looks like the real deal.
The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for Drew Shelton, the first of Dallas' three fourth-round picks. Barham played out of his mind, but it couldn't mask another rough outing from Shelton.
The Dallas Cowboys have a Drew Shelton problem they can't ignore
Shelton didn't look any more comfortable after switching sides with Nate Thomas to play left tackle. While he fared slightly better as a run blocker, that isn't saying much given his 47.9 grade was easily the lowest of any Cowboys offensive linemen who played at least 10 snaps.
Pass protection remains a massive concern for Shelton. Across 25 pass-blocking snaps, he surrendered four pressures, two hurries, and a sack. The result? A 3.0 pass-blocking grade from PFF. Not 30.0, which would still be terrible -- 3.0.
This comes after Shelton allowed three pressures, a hurry, and two quarterback hits at right tackle against the Seahawks. Moving to the left side did absolutely nothing.
Here's a look at where Shelton's numbers stack up among OTs this preseason who've logged at least 30 blocking snaps:
Category | Rank |
|---|---|
Pressures allowed: 7 | 116 out of 117 |
QB hits: 3 | 117 out of 117 (tied for last) |
Hurries: 3 | T-93rd out of 117 |
Pass-blocking grade: 13.5 | 114 out of 117 |
That's a player who shouldn't be on the field.
The Penn State product clearly needs a lot of polishing. Hardly unforgivable for a Day 3 rookie, but you'd feel better if he didn't look helpless out there.
The silver lining is that Shelton is a terrific athlete. One year in Klayton Adams and Conor Riley's school of teaching should lead to sweeping improvements. But in his current form, he isn't playable at either tackle position.
That all but confirms Nate Thomas will be the swing tackle unless Dallas goes out and adds a veteran. Not an ideal spot to be, which makes us wonder if the Cowboys will pull the Tyler Smith trick out of their sleeve.
Could the Cowboys turn to Tyler Smith if one of their OTs goes down?
Think about it.
If Terence Steele goes down and the Cowboys want their best five linemen out there, that may include moving Tyler Guyton to right tackle, Tyler Smith shifting out to LT, and T.J. Bass coming in to play left guard.
- Tyler Smith, LTÂ
- T.J. Bass, LG
- Cooper Beebe, C
- Tyler Booker, RG
- Tyler Guyton, RT
Would you rather that, or this?:
- Tyler Guyton, LTÂ
- Tyler Smith, LG
- Cooper Beebe, C
- Tyler Booker, RG
- Nate Thomas, RT
Or, if Guyton gets hurt:
- Nate Thomas/Tyler Smith, LTÂ
- Tyler Smith/T.J. Bass, LG
- Cooper Beebe, C
- Tyler Booker, RG
- Terence Steele, RT
You can bet that conversation has echoed through the hallways at The Star.
What's clear is that Shelton is nowhere near the starting equation. The Cowboys envisioned him pushing Guyton for left tackle reps, but right now, he can't even apply heat to Thomas for the swing tackle role. He's tracking toward being a healthy scratch when the real games begin.
With less urgency to address the running back room following Saturday's performance, Dallas might shift its sights toward adding a veteran offensive tackle before Week 1.
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