We’re digging into the trenches, because that’s where the real action happens in an NFL game. We’re looking at the Dallas Cowboys offensive line to see where it might have an advantage, and where they could struggle against the New York Giants.
Trench Dashboard
As the season develops this will be updated with the offensive line metrics for the 2026 season. For Week 1, this is how the offensive line finished the 2025 season and how they ranked.
Pass Block Win Rate– 63% 19th
Run Block Win Rate- 72% 11th
Pressure rate allowed–
35% 20th
Sacks allowed– 8th
OL Penalties– 32nd
Last three week trend: N/A
The Pressure Point
Every opponent will look at the Cowboys offensive line and ask, where can we break it? Here’s what to watch for.
PRESSURE POINT: New York’s edge rush
The biggest concern for the Cowboys offensive line this week is not difficult to find. New York can send Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux after Dak Prescott, and Dallas enters the season with questions at offensive tackle.
That matters most on the right side. Terence Steele allowed 52 pressures last season, the most among qualifying offensive tackles according to PFF, while his 54.9 pass-blocking grade ranked 76th out of 89 tackles. Dallas trading for Broderick Jones just before the season and immediately putting him into competition with Steele tells its own story about how the Cowboys view the position.
PRESSURE POINT: Tyler Guyton has to prove the improvement is real
Guyton has received plenty of praise this summer, and the Cowboys appear much more confident in him than they did earlier in the offseason. Week 1 will provide an immediate test of whether this progress translates into real-game performance. If the right side is having trouble, and Guyton ends up destroying all optimism everyone had in him this preseason, then pressure flows for the Giants at both ends.
Where to attack
Every defensive line has a weakness, here are the Giants soft spots and where the Cowboys offensive line should attack.
GREEN LIGHT: Run it up the middle
If New York’s biggest advantage is on the outside, Dallas should make the Giants prove they have fixed the middle.
The Giants finished last season allowing 5.3 yards per rush, the worst mark in the NFL. They have since completely rebuilt their defensive line and, most importantly, traded Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati. D.J. Reader was brought in to help replace him, while Shelby Harris and second-year defensive lineman Darius Alexander are expected to have significant roles.
That puts the strongest part of Dallas’ offensive line against one of New York’s biggest question marks. Attack here hard and fast and that takes the pressure off the tackles if things are looking tough on the outside.
GREEN LIGHT: Make the Giants’ pass rushers defend the run
There is another way to deal with Carter and Burns, do not allow them to spend the entire night charging after Prescott.
Carter was excellent rushing the passer last season, but his 54.4 PFF run-defense grade ranked 95th among qualifying edge defenders. Burns was also far less effective against the run than as a pass rusher, finishing with a 59.8 run-defense grade.
Running toward an aggressive pass rusher forces him to stop attacking the quarterback and instead hold his position against a blocker. Dallas can also use tight ends alongside the offensive tackles, pull Smith or Booker across the formation and use misdirection to punish Carter and Burns if they get too eager to attack upfield.
The Chaos Report
Here’s the Giants defensive trends from 2025 at the defensive line. For Week 1 we give you their trend from last year, but beyond this week we will give you the trends for each team as the season develops.
Sack Total– 20th
Pass Rush Win Rate- 41% 9th
Run Stop Win Rate- 32% 13th
Stunt Rate- 19% 26th
Last three week trend: N/A
Matchup of the week
Tyler Guyton vs. Abdul Carter
Whenever the Giants put Abdul Carter across from Tyler Guyton, watch that battle.
Carter already established himself as one of the NFL’s more disruptive young pass rushers during his rookie season. His 66 pressures led all rookies, his 84.5 PFF pass-rush grade ranked 11th among qualifying edge defenders, and he became increasingly difficult to block as the season progressed. He has the speed to race around the outside of a tackle, but he can also change direction and attack inside when the blocker moves too quickly to protect the edge.
That is exactly the type of defender who can tell us how far Guyton has progressed.
Guyton has the size and athletic ability to deal with speed, and the Cowboys have praised the improvement in his footwork and his ability to react when a pass rusher changes direction. But the regular season is where that improvement has to show itself.
Injury Updates:
The big news dropped Monday that Tyler Smith will miss 4-6 weeks to have thumb surgery.
As for the Giants, the only update so far heading into Week 1 is that defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris was sent to injured reserve with an Achilles tear back in mid-August.
