3 Dallas Cowboys who could steal starting jobs in 2019
By Randy Gurzi
2. Connor McGovern, Left Guard
When the Cowboys were on the board in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, most of us expected to hear a safety get called. Dallas went into the offseason with defensive tackle and safety their top needs. They added George Iloka to play safety but still needed more. After using their first pick in the draft (which was in Round 2) Dallas surprised many by going for an offensive lineman rather than getting more help in the secondary.
Their choice was guard Connor McGovern out of Penn State and immediately, it led to speculation that Dallas was unhappy with Connor Williams who played left guard in 2018 after being taken in the second round out of Texas.
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However, it now seems apparent that this move was more of an indication of their future plans with La’el Collins. The current starter at right tackle is entering the final season of his contract and carries a price tag of $9.9 million according to OverTheCap.com. With the team already paying Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zack Martin more than that, there’s little chance Collins gets re-signed in 2020.
The more likely scenario would be Dallas will have Williams move back to tackle, the position he played in college, and replace Collins. That could possibly happen earlier than 2020 should McGovern prove to be ready this season.
Making it more enticing is the fact that Dallas could save more than $8.5 million should they decide to cut Collins this year — and that could come in handy with several players needing new contracts.