Entering the 2026 season, it was fairly obvious who the weak link on the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line was: right tackle Terence Steele. Granted, this Cowboys offensive line was one of the better units in the NFL last year, but patience was wearing thin regarding the guy starting at the right bookend.
Steele allowed more pressures (52) than any other lineman in the NFL last year, so his standing was a bit shaky. So shaky that Jerry Jones invested in insurance at RT just in case things went awry. First, it was the Drew Shelton pick, then the Broderick Jones trade, and finally the Wanya Morris signing.
However, for all that Dallas invested in the right tackle position, they haven't needed any of it because Steele has quietly had a very solid season in 2026. Given how much money they were on the hook for with him, the Joneses were hoping he'd turn in a bounce-back season, and he has done just that.
The 29-year-old has looked more comfortable in Year 2 in OL coach Conor Riley's system, as he's answered a lot of the complaints Cowboys fans previously had about him. He was always better as a run blocker than a pass blocker, yet Steele has taken noticeable strides in pass pro this year.
According to Next Gen Stats, No. 78 has allowed a career-low 7.2% pressure rate this season, which is the ninth-lowest among all right tackles with a minimum of 50 pass blocking snaps. And he's also only given up 13 pressures this year, which is the same amount as star Giants tackle Andrew Thomas.
Dallas Cowboys have gotten a bounce-back year out of Terence Steele
Listen, I'm not here to try to convince you that Terence Steele is fully deserving of the five-year, $86.8 million extension he was signed to back in 2023. The jury is still out on that. But frankly, if he wasn't judged based on such an unreasonable price tag, fans wouldn't have as much of an issue with him.
He is far from as bad as many think.
The former undrafted free agent from Texas Tech hasn't missed a start since 2022, so say what you want about his misgivings, but you can't say he hasn't offered the Cowboys RT stability. Of course, guys like Tyler Guyton and Tyler Booker have been better, but it's wrong to imply he's straight-up bad.
One of Steele's biggest issues in the past was being called for penalties at inopportune times, yet he's been called for just three all season. A lot of the issues in his game that have given the Cowboys grief have been cleaned up--and he was even getting downfield on some blocks against the Eagles, so he is part of why Javonte Williams went off in that game.
At the very least, Terence Steele has been an average tackle this season, which is really all the Cowboys are asking of him. He's responded well to all of the competition Dallas brought in for him, and he's been decent enough this season that you can even argue that he's underrated.
Since the Dallas Cowboys would be on the hook for $25 million in dead cap if Steele gets cut after the season, his mini-resurgence confirmed that they'd be better off seeing things through at least through 2027 and re-evaluating after next season.
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