The Cowboys don’t have an offensive line problem. They have an edge protection problem.
The data from 2025 makes that distinction surprisingly clear. While both tackle spots allowed well above-average pressure, Dallas’ three interior starters quietly performed at or above the NFL average.
Today, we look at how the Cowboys linemen compared against the NFL average in 2025, how many splash plays (sacks + hits + hurries) they gave up, and what that could mean for 2026. The numbers we’re going to use are from
Pro Football Focus (PFF), but we’re only looking at their raw stats, not the grades. Importantly, the PFF numbers can differ from the official totals because PFF only lists splash plays that are directly attributable to an offensive line player.
But before we start comparing sacks, hits, and hurries among players along the offensive line, it’s important to understand that you can’t compare players without also accounting for their snap count, because one guy may have played 450 pass blocking snaps, while the other guy played 650 snaps.
Example: Tyler Guyton gave up 31 total pressures (sacks + hits + hurries) according to PFF. Buffalo’s Pro Bowl left tackle Dion Dawkins gave up 33 pressures. If you’re a proponent of volume stats, you would argue that both gave up almost the same amount of pressures. Technically, you’d be right, but Guyton reached his total in just 384 pass-blocking snaps, while Dawkins played 528. Once you account for workload, the comparison looks very different.
To make every player directly comparable, I’ve normalized all pressure statistics to 600 pass-blocking snaps, roughly a full season for an NFL starter.
Here’s how many sacks, hits, and pressures an average NFL O-line gave up in 2025, adjusted to 600 pass-blocking snaps.
body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table { border: 1px solid #000 !important; border-collapse: collapse !important; } body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th { padding: 4px 6px !important; }| 2025 NFL average splash plays given up by O-line (adjusted) | |||||
| NFL average | LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Sacks | 6.1 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 4.0 |
| QB Hits | 6.7 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.4 |
| QB Hurries | 26.8 | 22.3 | 15.6 | 22.6 | 26 |
| Total Pressures | 39.8 | 30.4 | 20.9 | 29.6 | 34.4 |
One interesting takeaway is that right tackles now allow almost as much pressure as left tackles. Whether that’s because elite edge rushers line up on both sides or offenses have become more balanced, the traditional blind-side gap has largely disappeared.
Now that we’ve established the baseline, or ‘average’ for these splash plays, let’s have a look at how the Cowboys five starting linemen compare. Note on the color scheme: green is better than the NFL average at the position, yellow is up to 25% below the NFL average, red is more than 25% worse than the NFL average.
body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table { border: 1px solid #000 !important; border-collapse: collapse !important; } body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th { padding: 4px 6px !important; }| 2025 splash plays given up by Cowboys O-line (adjusted) | |||||
| Cowboys Starters | LT Guyton | LG Smith | OC Beebe | RG Booker | RT Steele |
| Sacks | 3.1 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 5.4 |
| QB Hits | 9.4 | 0.0 | 4.1 | 6.3 | 8.1 |
| QB Hurries | 35.9 | 21.3 | 16.3 | 16.7 | 33.4 |
| Total Pressures | 48.4 | 28.0 | 21.7 | 26.1 | 47.0 |
When comparing each starter’s pass protection to the 2025 league average at his position, a clear pattern emerges: Dallas doesn’t have an offensive line problem. It has an edge protection problem.
Three starters are already performing at or above league average. The interior of the offensive line has already become one of the strengths of the roster.
- Tyler Smith (LG) continues to perform at a high level, allowing about 8% fewer total pressures than the average NFL left guard.
- Cooper Beebe (C) is almost exactly league average in total pressures allowed. While his QB hit rate is slightly elevated, he developed into a dependable center in just his second season, though you’d still like to see a little more green in his profile.
- The biggest surprise may be rookie Tyler Booker (RG). Booker allowed fewer sacks than the average right guard, fewer QB hurries and 12% fewer total pressures than the league average. For a rookie stepping into the starting lineup, that’s an outstanding start.
Collectively, Dallas’ three interior starters are performing at, or slightly above, the NFL average. In fact, the three interior positions collectively rank 11th across the NFL in total adjusted pressures and 13th in adjusted sacks.
The problems in Dallas are almost entirely on the outside
At left tackle, Tyler Guyton allowed 48.4 total adjusted pressures, compared to a league average of 39.8. That’s roughly 22% more pressure than the average NFL left tackle. At right tackle, Terence Steele allowed 47.0 adjusted pressures against a positional average of 34.4, nearly 37% above league average.
Viewed as a unit, the offensive line appears inconsistent. Viewed by position, the interior trio is providing reliable pass protection while the tackles are giving up the majority of the pressure. That distinction matters because it changes the conversation. Instead of saying “the offensive line needs to improve,” it’s more accurate to say “the tackles need to improve.”
Those are very different problems. One suggests rebuilding. The other suggests targeted development or a free-agent addition. Because the depth at tackle? O.M.G.!
body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table { border: 1px solid #000 !important; border-collapse: collapse !important; } body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th { padding: 4px 6px !important; }| 2025 splash plays given up by Cowboys backups (adjusted) | |||||||
| Cowboys Backups | LT | LG | C | RG | RT | ||
| N. Thomas | T. Smith | T.J. Bass | H. Adeniji | B. Hoffman | T.J. Bass | N. Thomas | |
| Snaps | 167 | 107 | 91 | 40 | 267 | 108 | 34 |
| Sacks | 7.2 | 5.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 17.6 |
| QB Hits | 10.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 0.0 | 17.6 |
| QB Hurries | 39.5 | 22.4 | 19.8 | 30.0 | 15.7 | 5.6 | 88.2 |
| Total Pressures | 57.5 | 28.0 | 19.8 | 30.0 | 27.0 | 5.6 | 123.5 |
I’ve included the snap counts here because they are quite low and as a result, bad performances are hyper-magnified when adjusted to 600 snaps. Nevertheless, the issue remains that the problems last year were mostly at the edge.
Brock Hoffman’s numbers suggest he can survive as a backup, but they don’t suggest Dallas would have been comfortable if he had to start for an extended period, so he was allowed to leave for Pittsburgh.
T.J. Bass, on the other hand, has been been solid in limited opportunities at both guard spots, and with a little additional development he could be the interior swing guy.
But the tackle depth remains a real concern. Nate Thomas’ numbers came in a very small sample, making them difficult to evaluate, but they certainly don’t suggest a player ready to contribute meaningful snaps at tackle. The Cowboys would be well-advised to look for a swing tackle on the free agent market.
Again, the weakness isn’t spread evenly across the line. It’s concentrated at tackle.
The irony is that Dallas’ best pass-protecting tackle may already be on the roster. Tyler Smith’s brief stint at left tackle produced pressure numbers that would have ranked fifth among NFL starters. By comparison, his excellent left guard play ranked “only” ninth. Moving him back outside would weaken one position while dramatically strengthening another—a trade-off the Cowboys may eventually have to consider if Guyton doesn’t develop.
The Cowboys’ offensive line is not a five-man question mark. Three of the five starters are already performing at or above league average in pass protection. The challenge now is fixing the outside.
If Tyler Guyton takes the expected Year 3 leap, the perception of Dallas’ offensive line could change dramatically, not because the unit suddenly became good, but because its biggest weakness finally caught up with the majority of the line.
If he doesn’t, the Cowboys may already have the answer on the roster. Moving Smith back outside would weaken one position while potentially solving another, making it a difficult, but increasingly realistic, decision.
One way or another, the Cowboys don’t need to rebuild their entire offensive line. They need to solve the edges.
