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Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas — It is a good year to need an offensive lineman when it comes to the NFL draft, so the Dallas Cowboys have that going for them.
Another thing going for them: a track record of success in taking an offensive lineman in the first round.
“It’s great to be drafting a position when there’s a lot of them — quantity,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. “If you can go in and it happens to fit need and there is a long number of them in the draft, that’s fortuitous. That’s a good thing to have happen. … Secondly, to me, I was an offensive lineman. They’re always the smartest, the best-looking, and they’re the ones that end up owning the teams. And so it’s fun to be able to take a good offensive lineman.”
From 1982 to 2010, the Cowboys failed to select an offensive lineman in the first round. From 2011 to 2023, the Cowboys selected four offensive linemen in the first round. All four have been named to a Pro Bowl. Three have been named first-team All Pro and the fourth might not be far behind in that category.
In 2011, the Cowboys selected Tyron Smith at No. 9 overall. He was named to eight Pro Bowls and All-Pro five times while being considered the prototype for left tackle for close to a decade.
In 2013, Travis Frederick was the 31st overall pick. He was named to five Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in 2016. Health issues forced Frederick into an early retirement after the 2019 season, but even in his last season, he was named to the Pro Bowl.
In 2014, the Cowboys took Zack Martin — not quarterback Johnny Manziel — in the first round, No. 14 overall. He has been named to the Pro Bowl every year but one and has been an All-Pro seven times. For most of his career, he has been considered the best guard in the NFL.
In 2022, the Cowboys took Tyler Smith in the first round, No. 24 overall. He played left tackle mostly as a rookie but moved to left guard last season and was named to the Pro Bowl. With Tyron Smith signing with the New York Jets as a free agent, the Cowboys could move Tyler Smith back to tackle, however; executive vice president Stephen Jones compared Tyler Smith to Hall of Famer Larry Allen this offseason.
The Cowboys’ top need entering this week’s draft would appear to be offensive line, considering Smith’s departure, as well as the loss of center Tyler Biadasz to the Washington Commanders in free agency. The Cowboys re-signed last year’s swing tackle, Chuma Edoga. They like the toughness of center Brock Hoffman and the potential of T.J. Bass, an undrafted free agent last year. But a first-round pick would be the first “all-in” move the Cowboys have made this offseason.
Stephen Jones said the communication between the personnel department and coaching staff during the evaluation process has been the major reason for their success.
“We want to draft a Dallas Cowboy offensive lineman that fits in the room with a Zack Martin, with a Tyler Smith, with a Terence Steele,” Stephen Jones said. “You want that guy that you pick to be a guy who’s going to go in that room and be [additive] to what we’re trying to get accomplished there.”
Unfortunately, the Cowboys could be at the mercy of the draft gods to land a left tackle — provided they don’t want to switch Tyler Smith’s position — in the first round. They had Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga at The Star for one of their 30 visits, and are high on Washington’s Troy Fautanu. Seeing either at No. 24 would be a surprise. Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton is another option to consider.
At center, they had Duke’s Graham Barton and Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson take visits to The Star. Both would be considered day one starters if either came to Dallas, regardless of the round.
To coach Mike McCarthy, the strong defensive tackle play inside the NFC East means the Cowboys need to be strong up the middle on their offensive line.
“I think the defensive tackle play in our division is as strong as I’ve ever seen,” McCarthy said. “And in my history in the league, if you don’t have four or five No. 1 picks in your defensive line, you’re behind the times. So I think pass rush is at a premium, so [interior strength] is definitely something we put a premium on — not only who we have protecting in there but how we do it.”
The Cowboys have found success selecting offensive linemen after Round 1 lately. Connor Williams was a second-round pick in 2018 and started 51 of 57 games at left guard. Connor McGovern was a third-round pick in 2019 and started 53 of 61 games at left and right guard. Biadasz was a fourth-round pick in 2020 and started 53 of 61 games at center.
But none remains with the team today, having signed elsewhere as free agents. Williams signed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Miami Dolphins and is currently a free agent recovering from a torn ACL. McGovern left for the Buffalo Bills after the 2022 season on a three-year, $22 million deal. In March, Biadasz signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Commanders.
Maybe those deals were out of the Cowboys’ price range, but they were not proactive in trying to re-sign the players before they tested the market. As a result, the Cowboys find themselves in a spot where they have to retool the line this year while also knowing this potentially could be Martin’s final season, either contractually or if he retires.
Without draft help, Dallas will bank on Hoffman, Bass and later-round picks the past three years — Josh Ball, Matt Waletzko and Asim Richards — to fill major roles.
“All those guys,” Stephen Jones said, “it’s time for them to step up.”