While the trade that brings George Pickens to the Cowboys has certainly been well-received, as it gives Dak Prescott another top-tier target and adds a running mate for star receiver CeeDee Lamb, it is not a cure-all for a Dallas offense that went from Top 4 in points scored for three straight seasons, all the way down to 21st in 2024.
Sure, there were obvious reasons for the collapse in scoring, most importantly, Prescott’s hamstring problem, but the fact is, the offense was not exactly humming even when Prescott was healthy.
The Cowboys averaged 21.4 points with Prescott, and 19.9 points after he went out.
One of the big offenders in the Cowboys’ drop-off was the unit that the team had long prided itself on: the offensive line.
The Cowboys lost center Tyler Biadasz and tackle Tyron Smith last year, and will come into this year without stalwart Zack Martin.
That means that, over the past two seasons, the Cowboys have lost 20 Pro Bowl appearances and two likely Hall of Famers off three spots on their line.
Dallas is hoping that 2024 draftees like Cooper Beebe, who started at center last year as a rookie, and Tyler Guyton (who struggled) can fill the void. And they used a first-round pick this year on guard Tyler Booker. All three are expected to be on the line next season.
Cowboys Offensive Line Has 2 Veterans
That much inexperience makes it all the more important to ensure some stability with the two veterans, Terence Steele and Tyler Smith, a two time Pro-Bowler.
Spotrac’s NFL contract expert Mike Ginnitti noted this week that Smith is one of the less-talked-about problems for the Cowboys on a line that badly needs him.
“This will get glossed over because it is not a sexy conversation,” Ginnitti said on the Spotrac Podcast. “They still have not fixed this offensive line. They’ve thrown some darts in the draft, they have made some small, minor adjustments in free agency, and there’s a Tyler Smith contract discussion to be had here over the next couple of weeks to lock him in long-term.
“But, man, left tackle, left guard, everything about the team as a whole still feels incomplete to me. For all you saying that Pickens is going to be the singular move that puts them back into playoff contention–maybe. But there’s a lot of history that says it’s got to start from the inside out, and Dallas does not appear to be built well in that regard.”
Tyler Smith Projected to Land $76 Million Contract
Smith, the Cowboys’ first-round pick in 2022, is especially important.
He is among the top guards in the NFL, and though the Cowboys made a notable move by picking up his fifth-year option last month, guaranteeing him $21 million next year, Smith is probably not going to want to play on that contract.
While the move for Pickens has grabbed attention, and the ongoing lack of a new deal for Micah Parsons has dragged now deep into the spring, a deal for Smith is an underrated element of this offseason in Dallas.
He has a cap hit of $4.2 million this year, so the Cowboys can’t significantly improve their current salary situation with a new contract, but they could reduce his number for next year. Spotrac projects him to be worthy of a four-year, $76.4 million contract on the market, or $19.1 million per year.
