For the Dallas Cowboys over the last few years, one of the key projects has been to remake the offensive line, long a staple of team’s strength on the offensive side of the ball. The departure of mainstays like Zack Martin and Tyron Smith certainly put pressure on the team to continue its long line of O-line stars, and while there have been successes–guards Tyler Smith and, it appears Tyler Booker–there have been question marks, too. Left tackle Tyler Guyton has been one, but now, too, it appears the struggles of his bookend, right tackle Terence Steele, are showing through, too.
Steele is the longest tenured lineman for the Cowboys, having been signed as a UDFA back in 2020, and winning a starting job as a rookie. That’s a remarkable feat on his part, and the five-year, $87 million contract he was given three years later confirmed his rags-to-riches story.
But Steele had suffered a torn ACL at the end of 2022, before he signed his contract. And the reality is, he has not been quite as good in the three years since getting that deal.
Cowboys Replace Terence Steele for Joint Practice
Now the Cowboys appear to have concerns at both left tackle with Guyton and right tackle with Steele. In the joint practice with the Saints on Tuesday, Dallas replaced Steele with Nate Thomas, the 2025 seventh-round pick who was supposed to challenge Guyton for his job this summer. He’s being used to challenge Steele now.
The demotion is expected to be temporary, but still, it speaks volumes.
Offensive line starts are difficult to compile, but Steele had his lowest Pro Football Focus grade since his rookie year in 2025, at 63.6. That was 51st among 84 tackles.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer explained the reasoning for Thomas at right tackle: “These guys have to be able to swing, so we want to give Nate a chance to work over there at right tackle. Terence Steele’s got to play a little bit more consistent. He has had a couple of days where it has been a little drop in his pads and getting edged a little bit.”
Cowboys Also Concerned on Tyler Guyton
Notably, Schottenheimer also gave rookie Drew Shelton, one of Dallas’ the fourth-round picks in this year’s draft, time at left tackle, an indication that there is still some Cowboys trepidation on Guyton.
Schottenheimer added: “We want to see Drew Shelton play left tackle. So that’s not the only position. That’s the only one you guys asked me about. So that’s the only one I’m going to speak to.”
Shelton, by the accounts of most observers in Oxnard, still has a long way to go to get up to speed.
Should Terence Steele Be Replaced?
The bigger issue, though, is that Schottenheimer and the Cowboys appear to be losing confidence at the edges of the offensive line, not gaining it. There has been chatter about the team making a big-time trade after the signing of Von Miller, but it might be wiser for the Cowboys to make trades that shore up the depth at tackle and perhaps at running back, too, where the crew behind Javonte Williams has not been inspiring.
Steele, remember, did agree to a pay cut this spring when he restructured the remaining years on that ill-advised $87 million deal from 446 million down to $33 million. Otherwise, the Cowboys might have released him outright.
The Cowboys offense could be great in 2026. But it had better shore up its depth in the next two weeks.
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