Going into this offseason, right tackle Terence Steele had the makings of a logical salary cap casualty. But on Monday morning, he and the Cowboys agreed to a renegotiated contract that keeps him around for at least 2026, and clarifies the team’s overall picture at the offensive line going forward.
Steele remains what he’s always been, a strong run blocker with more lapses in pass protection than you’d generally like to see. His strengths and weaknesses are better suited to what Brian Schottenheimer
and Klayton Adams are doing offensively, which improved his long-term outlook. His warts become even more tolerable now after the pay cut, dropping his total contract value by about $12-$15 million.
We’re still waiting for more details to see just how secure his job is in 2027 and beyond, but this means Steele’s definitely back for at least another year. Even after the pay cut, he’s still making starter money and will probably return to the right tackle spot for a seventh season.
This also gives us clarity about the rest of the offensive line going forward, particularly the other tackles and maybe at left guard as well. Cooper Beebe and Tyler Book aren’t impacted, of course, but one of the theories floating around was that Dallas might move guard Tyler Smith to left tackle and then send Tyler Guyton to the right side, which he played in college. That made even more sense when paired with the idea of cutting Steele for cap space.
This isn’t to say that the Guyton-Smith swap still couldn’t happen, but it could change Guyton’s prospects if it does. He’d probably still get a chance to compete with Steele for the starting RT job, but could easily wind up as the swing tackle. That would be a tough pill for a first-round pick in his third year, but at least it’s still a valuable depth role.
Another impacted player is Nathan Thomas, last year’s swing tackle. If Steele had been cut, he would’ve been a top contender in the competition to replace him. But now he’s just hoping to win his previous job back, with the Guyton-Smith scenario lurking and other potential additions for depth spots. Thomas at least some position flex as a guard option as well, so his overall job security may not be too adversely impacted. But it definitely hurts his chances of ascending to a bigger role.
Could the Cowboys do better than Terence Steele at right tackle in 2026? Yes, but that would require the use of resources that they need to repair a completely broken defense. He’s far from the best RT in the league, but he’s good enough. Steele’s been the starter for multiple high-ranking offenses during his run. By reworking his deal, Dallas is keeping things stable on that side of that ball while also creating the cap space to make more defensive improvements.
