The Dallas Cowboys are less than a month away from departing for Oxnard, Calif., for training camp, as the Brian Schottenheimer era approaches its official beginning on July 21.
In the Cowboys Depth Chart series, we will take a look at each position group to determine which players are safe, on the bubble or have work to do in terms of making the 53-man roster coming out of training camp in late August.
On the offensive line, the Cowboys used their first-round pick on a day-one starter at right guard after adding veteran help in the interior in free agency. With more bodies in the room, attrition is on the way in Oxnard.
Here is a look at the offensive line heading into training camp.
SAFE (7)
Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, Terence Steele, Tyler Guyton, Brock Hoffman, Asim Richards
From left-to-right, the starting offensive line of Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker and Terence Steele can pretty much be penned in. Unless a preseason or training camp injury hits that group, expect those five to be the ones that roll out in week one.
Tyler Guyton is looking for a bounce-back sophomore campaign and has the confidence of the coaching staff to go full steam ahead into 2025. Tyler Smith is one of the safest players on the roster, as he approaches a potential mega-extension next offseason. Cooper Beebe had a big rookie season manning down the center position and looks like the long-term solution there. Tyler Bookerarrives with high expectations after a stellar college career at Alabama. While Terence Steele has had his fair share of ups-and-downs in recent years, the coaching change should benefit his growth with a bigger emphasis on offensive line play and strengths that play into his skill set.
Brock Hoffman has been the sixth-man of the offensive line at times throughout the last couple of years, and while he looked primed to take over as the starter at right guard heading into the offseason, the drafting of Booker resorts him back to the first option off the bench in the interior of the offensive line. Asim Richards will serve a similar purpose for the tackles, although he’s gotten work at guard in his career as well.
ON THE BUBBLE (5)
Rob Jones, Hakeem Adeniji, Saahdiq Charles, T.J. Bass, Ajani Cornelius
The Cowboys went out and grabbed a trio of veterans that should be able to create competition in the interior, but that was before they drafted Booker with the No. 12 overall pick. Now, the trio will be fighting for a roster spot to backup the talented rookie.
Rob Jones arrives after starting all 17 games at left guard for the Miami Dolphins last season, but inconsistency ultimately wrote the end of that chapter. After making a sudden retirement in 2024, Saahdiq Charles is back after a year off to compete for a roster spot in Dallas. It will be crucial for him to show that the year off added value and freshness to his game rather than rust. Charles and fellow first-year veteran Hakeem Adeniji also bring potential to the tackle position, paving the way for a more realistic roster spot if they are to shine covering the edges as well.
Excitement has been high at times for T.J. Bass after making the roster as an undrafted rookie in 2023 and playing in 32 games in his first two seasons, but he hasn’t ever been able to quite surpass Hoffman on the depth chart. He’ll need to connect on a big swing in Oxnard to accomplish that, or he will be left fighting for a roster spot with more experienced veterans.
Drafted in the sixth round out of Oregon, there is high optimism for the development of rookie Ajani Cornelius. He could find himself as high on the depth chart as the backup swing tackle if all things go right at training camp or as low as a fringe roster spot coming out of Oxnard. The Cowboys typically bank on younger talent up front, so if it comes down to him against a veteran for one spot, his youth could play to his advantage.
WORK TO DO (3)
Nathan Thomas, Dakoda Shepley, Matt Waletzko
While Dakoda Shepley is one of the more respected figures in the locker room even as a tenured practice squad member, his chances of inching closer to a roster spot remain low with the talent in front of him. It would most likely take an injury for him to find his name on the 53-man roster coming out of camp.
The same could be said for Matt Waletzko who hasn’t quite found his footing in the NFL after multiple shoulder subluxation injuries. While he did play seven of his 11 career games last season in mostly special teams work, he will need to take a big step forward to make it onto the roster after camp.
After being drafted in the seventh round in 2024, Nathan Thomas missed the entirety of his rookie season due to knee tendinitis. With injury concerns already existing when he was drafted, the concerns grow about his ability to stay healthy. If he can, opportunity does await for him to enter into the depth conversation at both tackle and guard.