Dallas Cowboys: Could Cyrus Kouandijo fit as a swing tackle?
By Randy Gurzi
A former second-round pick, could offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandijo help the Dallas Cowboys with their depth on the line after being cut by the Buffalo Bills?
Just because the Dallas Cowboys have arguably the best offensive line in the league, that doesn’t mean they can’t use more depth. They showed as much when the brought in former Arizona Cardinals first-round pick Jonathan Cooper near the end of the 2016 season after he was cut by the Cleveland Browns. Cooper was a top-10 pick, but went through four franchises in a calendar year.
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In Dallas he was thought to be a depth piece, but after they lost right tackle Doug Free to retirement, that may have changed. It appears the team is intent on letting starting left guard La’el Collins compete for the vacated tackle spot, which is opening up competition for Cooper to become a starter.
That’s the way it is in the NFL as spots can open up in a hurry. Should Collins become the starting tackle, then Chaz Green and the recently acquired Byron Bell will battle to be swing tackles. That doesn’t mean the Boys are set by any means.
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Collins, Green and Bell all ended their seasons on IR last year and injuries are a common theme to this point for Green. Also, there’s a chance that Cooper and his competition, Joe Looney, are unsuited for a full-time starting gig and that Dallas then places Collins back to guard and either Green or Bell start at right tackle.
With such concerns, it would make sense for Dallas to keep churning the bottom of their roster as they have done so often in recent years in search of players who can help them build a competitive team. One potential addition is former second-round pick Cyrus Kouandijo, who was recently cut by the Buffalo Bills.
Like Green, Kouandijo has battled injuries to this point, but will be just 24 years old heading into the season. He’s a power blocker that has played well in spurts, but his time on the field to this point has been limited. There would be questions about the scheme fit in addition to his injury issues.
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The good thing for Dallas is head coach Jason Garrett has a great relationship with Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who had Kouandijo during his collegiate years. Garrett would be able to get great information on the type of player the 311-pound tackle is. It surely wouldn’t hurt to at least reach out and see if there’s a potential fit there.