#OTANSWERS: O-LINE REARVIEW SPARKS COMPETITION AHEAD

As Game of Thrones taught us, anything that comes before the word but is horsebleep.

If Americas Team wants to be more than a pretty punchline when the 2025 NFL Playoffs come calling, then their offensive line must pave the way. 

But. 

They were bad last year, right? 

Allowing 156 pressures and 38 sacks? 

Here’s a quote from PFF re: last season’s play: 

“Unfortunately for Dallas, what we saw in 2024 was one of the worst possible outcomes for them: Right guard Zack Martin continued to decline prior to his season being cut short due to an injury, rookie Cooper Beebe endured growing pains after converting from guard to center in the NFL and first-round pick Tyler Guyton was a liability at left tackle.” 

PFF’s report also included the uncertainty of two rookies starting after the departures of Tyler Biadasz and Tyron Smith.

But. 

The group actually finished 2024 with an 86.5 PFF pass-blocking grade, tying for 9th. 

But.

The team finished just 24th in rushing attempts (429) and 1st downs (98), 27th in rushing yards (1,705), 28th in yards per attempt (4.0), and dead-last in touchdowns (6).

And yet…

They produced a 1,079-yard rusher, tied for 12th. 

And. 

Rico Dowdle averaged 4.6 yards per carry, good for 15th. 

And. 

Dowdle produced a 53.6 success rate—11th overall and the same as the Detroit Lions Jahmyr “Sonic” Gibbs. Note: David “Knuckles” Montgomery finished 8th and three of the Top 10 were quarterbacks: Hurts (7), Jackson (5), and Daniels (1). Note: A successful rush gains at least 40 percent of the yards required on 1st down, 60 percent on 2nd down, and 100 percent on 3rd or 4th down.

And. 

Dowdle’s success rate was 1.1 higher than AP OPOY1/AP1/MVP3 Saquon Barkley. 

And. 

Other backs on the rankings below Dowdle include: James Cook (Pro Bowl; tied Gibbs for league lead in rushing TDs), Josh Jacobs (PB), James Conner, and Kyren Williams. And that’s just 1,000-yard backs whose names ya’ll know who hit 50.0. 

Other 1,000-yard backs further down the list include: Aaron Jones, Tony Pollard, Jonathan Taylor (PB), Najee Harris, and Joe Mixon (PB). To say nothing of breakout stars—Chase Brown—comeback kids—JK Dobbins—and explosive names we might not believe—Alvin Kamara, De’Von Achane, Breece Hall, D’Andre Swift. 

And. 

They did all that with just 8 games of Dak Prescott. 

And.

Dowdle’s longest rush was only 27 yards. In this context, that means his didn’t-scare-the-defense motif was actually mitigated by consistently keeping Dallas on track.

And.

Of the backs ahead of him in the Top 10, it’s worth noting that an elite efficiency guy like Montgomery’s longest run went for 21. Kareem Hunt? 20. And Bijan Robinson—No. 2 overall behind Daniels and the only back to go over 60.0—had a long rush of 37.

And.

Dallas will be sprinkling in Jaydon Blue on a potential OROY fast track.

Excerpts from the projected left side of the Cowboys offensive line from Thursday’s OTAs begin to shed light on their shared mindset—and turning growing pains into longer gains.

TYLER GUYTON. “I figured out a lot about what I need to do to take care of my body to be able to play at a high level…I want to be a guy that can be depended on. I’m not gonna make any excuses. I’m coming with a different attitude this year to become a better player.”

TYLER SMITH. “It’s my favorite thing, bro. I mean, getting downhill, putting a body on a body, and just imposing your will…to meet and exceed the standard that he’s (Schottenheimer) set for us. Expectations are high for sure.”

The projected pivot, Cooper Beebe, now has his college offensive line coach shepherding the Cowboys o-line room to help fast-track continued acclimation and ascension.

Schottenheimer, over the top:

“You watch Cooper Beebe, Tyler Guyton and those guys. Tyler Guyton has been in the weight room every day. He’s working his ass off. To me, that’s really exciting. I think the influence of (offensive coordinator and former o-line coach) Klayton (Adams), the influence of Conor Riley, I think that package was so important for us, and I think we hit a home run.”

Tyler Booker, the man you would want wrestling a bear in a phone booth, has been all-business since Day 1 and looked the part so far.

The Dallas Cowboys have pledged to play their best five offensive lineman this season. Accordingly, Beebe has not been taking every first-team rep at center and Booker isn’t taking every rep with the starters, either.

As the individual battles heat up over the Summer, it’s worth noting that a look back at a group maligned for their 2024 performance actually graded higher than you’d think in one regard, while a deeper look at the numbers inside the numbers show traces of latent spark.

And.

They got younger, healthier, and should be hungrier through a culture of competition created with tremendous intent toward unlocking an offense with playmakers at every level in the ramp up to 2025.