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The Dallas Cowboys officially are snakebitten along their offensive line.
Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick retired in March, leaving behind a nearly unfillable void. This proved to be the opening salvo.
Then, All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith and starting right tackle La’El Collins sustained minor ailments which caused them to miss a chunk of training camp. Even swing lineman Cam Erving was laid out on the trainer’s table for several practices.
Now, the team might have lost Smith’s direct backup with the regular-season opener just around the corner.
According to media on hand at the Ford Center, second-year OT Mitch Hyatt suffered an apparent right leg (or knee) injury and was carted off the field. Per ESPN’s Todd Archer, Hyatt was hurt while going through individual drills. He’s scheduled to undergo an MRI, the Dallas Morning News reports.
Hyatt was replaced in team drills by undrafted free agent rookie Terence Steele. Erving, who returned to practice, and Brandon Knight also saw time at the blindside. Smith and Collins were again limited to individual work — “no competitive reps,” per in-house reporter David Helman.
A 2019 UDFA, Hyatt spent much of last season on the Cowboys’ practice squad before his December elevation to the active roster.
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Thursday’s session was arguably the most dominant of camp for Dallas’s defense, which capitalized on the depleted offensive line. When quarterback Dak Prescott wasn’t lobbing up picks, he was, often unsuccessfully, scrambling for his life against an overwhelming pass-rush. Via the club’s practice report:
If you were trying to chart all the sacks at this practice, you’d have your work cut out for you. The offensive tackle position is still lacking depth, as neither Tyron Smith nor La’el Collins participated in the competitive portion of practice. As a result, the Cowboys’ pass rushers had a field day. Everson Griffen, Aldon Smith and DeMarcus Lawrence all notched at least one sack. Prescott also had to fend off interior pressure, and Leighton Vander Esch also sacked the quarterback on a blitz.
The OL was so sieve-like that fifth-round rookie defensive end Bradlee Anae “likely would have had two or three sacks in live action.” Even UDFA Ron’Dell notched a would-be sack as the Cowboys’ incongruous front-five was simply no match for Mike Nolan’s unit.
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