Brian Schottenheimer T.J. Bass
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Brian Schottenheimer and the Dallas Cowboys announced Saturday they placed a second-round tender on offensive lineman T.J. Bass.
Kicker Brandon Aubrey wasn’t the only player to receive a second-round tender from the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. Depth offensive lineman T.J. Bass received one as well.
Dallascowboys.com’s Tommy Yarrish wrote the Cowboys placed the same second-round tender on Bass on Saturday. The tender is worth $5.76 million.
“Aubrey and Bass are both restricted free agents for the Cowboys, meaning they’ve accrued three seasons and have an expiring contract,” Yarrish wrote. “They’re still free to negotiate with external teams in free agency, but Dallas will have the right to match any deal they agree to.
“Should the Cowboys decide not to match, the new team that Aubrey or Bass will join sends Dallas a second-round pick.”
When Aubrey finally lands a long-term deal, pundits expect him to become the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. So his second-round tender received a lot more attention Saturday.
But Bass’s tender is obviously notable as well. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer called Bass a “stud” while speaking to reporters about the lineman at the NFL combine.
“The usage of a second-round tender on Bass speaks to the value the Cowboys see in him,” Yarrish added. “Throughout his three seasons in Dallas, Bass has been as reliable a backup option at guard as anybody. Over the course of the last year, Dallas has even had him take some snaps at center.”
ESPN’s Todd Archer confirmed the Cowboys placed second-round tenders on both Aubrey and Bass on Saturday. Archer also reported Dallas elected not to place tenders on offensive lineman Brock Hoffman or safety Juanyeh Thomas.
Cowboys Tender Restricted Free Agent T.J. Bass Contract
With his tendered deal, Bass isn’t guaranteed to return to Dallas. Other teams can still negotiate with the lineman.
But as Yarrish explained, the Cowboys can match any offer and will now receive a second-round pick if another team signs Bass. That’s unlikely to happen because most teams are probably not going to see Bass worth an early Day 2 selection.
That doesn’t mean Bass isn’t important to the Cowboys. He started five games for Dallas during the 2025 season. His first three starts came at right guard while the final two were at left guard.
Bass has started 10 games over three campaigns with the Cowboys. He has played at least 315 offensive snaps in all of his NFL seasons.
Cowboys Decline Tenders for Brock Hoffman, Juanyeh Thomas
Schottenheimer emphasized at the combine how much he wanted Bass to return. The Cowboys proved that with the second-round tender Saturday.
But interestingly, Schottenheimer raved about Hoffman along with Bass at the combine.
“Both of those guys are studs,” Schottenheimer said, via Yarrish. “They’re glue pieces for us. They’re always prepared. They’re ready.
“Both of those guys could start for other teams in the league, we’re just very, very talented like I just talked about. Both of those guys coming back would be big for us.”
Without a tender for Hoffman, he will have the chance to see if he can start for another team. Hoffman will become an unrestricted free agent next week.
That doesn’t mean the Cowboys couldn’t re-sign him for potentially less than what would have been the tender offer. But Hoffman will be able to talk with other teams, and the Cowboys will receive nothing if he signs elsewhere.
The same is the case with Thomas. The safety will also be an unrestricted free agent.
Hoffman started seven games for the Cowboys last season. He made 16 starts for Dallas from 2023-25.
Thomas started three of his seven games during 2025. He had 26 combined tackles.