If you watch enough football on Sundays, you can tell that the NFL has an offensive line shortage. Most teams struggle to find five competent offensive linemen, and almost no team has any depth that they feel good about. And for teams like the Chargers, one or two injuries on the offensive line have completely crippled their offense.
That hasn’t been the case yet for the Dallas Cowboys, who have managed to survive the last few weeks despite several injuries. Against the Packers, they scored 40 points without two key starters. And against the Jets, 37 despite being without four starters.
Two of the biggest surprises from that group are two former undrafted free agents in T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman.
Cowboys UDFAs T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman have been great amid OL injuries
First and foremost, Klayton Adams and Conor Riley deserve credit for the job they’ve done on the offensive line this year. Nine different offensive linemen have already started a game for the Cowboys this year and yet, they are still the No. 1 scoring offense. Adams and Riley have done a fantastic job of getting their unit ready to go and we are seeing the benefits of this staff already.
However, Hoffman and Bass have both been quality players before Adams and Riley arrived in Dallas, but they are now playing some of the best football of their careers. Bass, in particular, has never played better. Bass has allowed just one total pressure in two starts, and that spans over 130 offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. While he’s not the most dominating run blocker, he’s helped keep Dak Prescott upright, and there has been no drop-off from Booker to Bass.
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Hoffman got a lot of snaps last year at right guard once Zack Martin went down with a season-ending injury, but he’s done an admirable job at center this year. Hoffman did not allow a single pressure against the Jets and he’s done an excellent job of adding physicality to the unit.
Bass and Hoffman are two of the best backup interior offensive linemen in the league, and Dallas would be wise to keep them as long as possible. They will enter 2026 as restricted free agents, but both should be easy to keep around for at least one more season.
The Cowboys are incredibly fortunate to have this kind of depth on the offensive line, and with every week they play, they gain more experience and show significant improvement.
We shall see when Booker and Beebe return to the lineup for Dallas, but the fact that neither has to be rushed back onto the field until they are fully healthy is quite the luxury. Players like Bass and Hoffman are what separate the good teams from the rest of the league, as they can help stabilize a unit when injuries occur. The Cowboys must be thrilled with the production they are getting from these two undrafted stars so far.
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