Dallas Cowboys: Breaking down the 2019 offensive line depth chart
By Randy Gurzi
Left Tackle: Tyron Smith
Tyron Smith was the player who got this whole thing started. Coming out of USC in 2011, Smith was the No. 9 overall selection. As a rookie, he started out as the right tackle with Doug Free manning the left side. The two swapped in 2012 and Smith has been a constant force as the blindside protector ever since.
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He was just named to his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl for Dallas and enters this season looking for a big year. As good as Smith has been, he’s had some nagging injuries over the past three seasons and hasn’t played a full 16 games since 2015. He enters this season feeling better than he has in years, which is great news for the Cowboys who can surely tell when he’s not in the game.
Right Tackle: La’el Collins
On the right side, for now, is La’el Collins. A former stud at LSU, Collins went undrafted after he was questioned in a double-homicide ahead of the 2015 NFL Draft. Collins was never considered a suspect in the crime, but he still suffered in the draft due to the incident.
In the end, he landed with the Cowboys which was a great pairing. Collins played left guard as a rookie and was solid in this role. He was the starter there again in 2016, but a torn ligament in his toe ended his season after just three games.
He returned in 2017 but was moved to right tackle. There have been some growing pains there as Collins seemed to be a better fit inside. Dallas still liked what he brought to the table enough to pay him $15.4 million on a two-year extension but with that expiring after 2019, there’s a chance this could be his last season in Big D.