Every week, we’re digging into the trenches, offense and defense, because that’s where the real action happens. In this installment, we’re shining a spotlight on the offensive line, who’s holding it down, who’s opening holes for the running backs, and who’s keeping Dak Prescott clean. Let’s get to it.
Left Tackle
Tyler Smith
(2025 Stats: 1,056 Total snaps, 673 Pass Blocks, 26 Pressures, 0 QB Hits, 3 Sacks, 11 Penalties)
Smith’s 2025 has basically been elite in the run game, but still working on pass pro. PFF has him at a 71.6
overall grade with a monster 79.8 run-blocking mark (top-five among guards) and a more modest 63.4 pass-block grade, which fits the tape. When Dallas wants to lean on people, Smith is usually the first guy to bring the boom. On tracking-based win rates he’s posted a 95% pass block win rate on the season, which ranks 19th, meaning he’s typically surviving the first 2.5 seconds of the rep even when the pocket starts collapsing.
Against Washington in Week 17, the headline is that Smith worked the left tackle spot. He was credited with four pressures on 49 pass-block snaps, with one sack surrendered on Dak Prescott. The Cowboys whole line broke down for a total of six sacks allowed.
Now the Giants assignment is a different flavor, because New York can actually win edges early. As a team, they’re 7th in Pass Rush Win Rate at 41%, and their players include Abdul Carter (6th among edges in Pass Rush Win Rate) and Brian Burns (10th in PRWR). Burns has piled up 16.5 sacks on the season which is the second-most on the year, and Carter’s rookie year has been pressure-heavy (61 total pressures). The good news is New York’s run defense win rate sits near the bottom at 28th in Run Stop Win Rate, and Dallas has been a respectable run-block win rate team at 72% ranking 12th, so the Cowboys should be able to run the ball and work play-action off of that.
Left Guard
T.J. Bass
(2025 Stats: 352 Total snaps, 209 Pass Blocks, 4 Pressures, 0 QB Hits, 0 Sacks, 0 Penalties)
Dallas shuffled the front with Tyler Smith kicked out to left tackle, and T.J. Bass was asked to hold down the left guard position. On the plus side, he was functional in the run game. The Cowboys kept feeding the backfield after Javonte Williams went out, and Malik Davis turned 20 carries into 103 yards by consistently finding workable creases, particularly inside. That kind of day doesn’t happen if the interior is getting forklifted every snap, and Bass’ ability to get a push in the interior was rewarded with yards by the running backs.
But pass protection was an issue across the board. Washington rang up a season-high six sacks on Prescott. When you’re moving players up front, the first thing that can happen is communication issues arise. Washington leaned into that chaos. They even got a monster night from Jer’Zhan Newton, which basically tells you the issues on the inside.
New York’s pass rush has real teeth, but it comes mostly from the edge, but there’s still elite defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to concentrate on. If Dallas can run at a unit whose run-stop win rate says they can be easily moved, the pass sets get calmer, which is good for Bass and his skill set. One problem is Bass has shown up on the injury report this week leaving his status in doubt.
Center
Cooper Beebe
(2025 Stats: 712 Total Snaps, 457 Pass Blocks, 14 Pressures, 2 QB Hits, 1 Sacks, 1 Penalties)
Beebe’s Week 17 against Washington was the kind of center game that makes coordinators sleep better. Dallas still absorbed six sacks as a team, but the offense also ran the ball like a beast, piling up a season-high 211 rushing yards and running 87 plays in a 30–23 win. That volume tells you the line kept the run game open, and Beebe was basically the traffic cop keeping the intersections from turning into pileups.
In pass protection, the biggest win from Beebe wasn’t a pancake, it was organization. Washington’s front got home, and the Cowboys absolutely felt heat, but Beebe generally avoided the nightmare scenario for a center. The new lineup next to him mattered too as it’s the miscommunication that is a prelude to danger. PFF’s Week 17 recap had Beebe in the 60’s across the board, which fits the vibe. He didn’t play perfect football, but he played stabilizing football.
PFF has Beebe at a 68.7 overall grade with a 64.2 pass-block grade and 69.5 run-block grade, plus a pretty clean ledger with one sack allowed, 14 total pressures allowed, and just one penalty. Blocking tracking numbers also have him at a 95% pass block win rate, ranking 18th, which basically means he’s doing his job pretty consistently.
The Giants have produced 39 sacks as a defense, that’s the 11th-most this year. So this isn’t theoretical pressure; it shows up on the scoreboard. The good news for Dallas is the matchup math invites a ground-game plan so Beebe and the interior can try to turn this into a play-action afternoon.
Right Guard
Tyler Booker
(2025 Stats: 948 Total snaps, 604 Pass Blocks, 23 Pressures, 6 QB Hits, 3 Sacks, 7 Penalties)
For the in-depth analysis on Booker, go to BTB’s Rookie Battleground article.
Right Tackle
Terence Steele
(2025 Stats: 1,108 Total snaps, 695 Pass Blocks, 49 Pressures, 9 QB Hits, 6 Sacks, 6 Penalties)
Steele’s 2025 has been a weird little magic trick and the win-rate math says he’s doing his job, but the week-to-week tape feels like a roller coaster. On the efficiency side, he’s sitting at a 93% Pass Block Win Rate (18th among tackles) and has stayed a legit tone-setter in the run game, where his PFF run-block grade is a stout 73.2 (31st among tackles and for Dallas at the tackle position).
And then you look at the damage log and remember why fans keep gripping the armrest. Steele has been charged with 49 pressures (most at the tackle position) and six sacks allowed (both team highs), plus six penalties, so even when he’s mostly fine for long stretches, the losses have tended to show up in the kinds of moments that flip a series. PFF’s grading mirrors that split as his pass-block grade sits at 57.8 (bottom-third territory) even with that strong run-block number propping up the overall picture.
The context matters, too, because Steele has basically been the one constant on an offensive line that’s been playing musical chairs this season. Dallas has already made two major left-tackle-driven lineup swaps, moving from Tyler Guyton to Nate Thomas, and then to Tyler Smith, with Beebe missing a stretch and Booker missing three games. So the right side’s communication and timing have had to live through ripple effects all season.
If Dallas wants the best version of Steele for the final game of the season, the formula should be to let his run-game nastiness stay featured, and mask his passing sets issues. When Steele plays clean, the Cowboys can lean into the stuff he’s actually good at in moving people on down blocks, widening edges, and keeping the offense on schedule.
Injury update
Tyler Guyton has been moved to injured reserve so that shuts his season down. T.J. Bass is a question mark.
