2. Joe Looney vs. Tyler Biadasz vs. Connor McGovern
When the Dallas Cowboys lost Travis Frederick for the entire 2018 season as he battled Guillain-Barré syndrome, they turned to veteran Joe Looney who started all 16 games that year. Looney isn’t the same caliber player as Frederick, but he played well for the Cowboys as he helped them remain a strong offensive line.
Frederick did return for 2019 but after being unable to perform to his expectations, he decided to retire. With him gone, Looney again has a shot to start in the middle of the Cowboys line. However, this time, he has some competition.
Dallas gave themselves plenty of options as they not only retained Looney but they had also drafted Connor McGovern the year prior out of Penn State. While McGovern is listed as a guard, he played center for the Nittany Lions as well and could be in the mix for the job in 2020.
They also went back to Wisconsin, which is where they drafted Frederick out of. This time, they used a fourth-round pick on Tyler Biadasz who at one point looked to be a lock for the first round. Injuries slowed him down and affected his tape but he’s now healthy and ready to make the Cowboys look brilliant for moving up in the fourth round to secure his services.
If the staff was being honest, they likely hope that Biadasz would win the job given the fact that he’s a rookie and would be able to fill the role for many years to come. However, they’re surely just glad to have the options, which includes a fallback plan with plenty of experience in Joe Looney.