The Dallas Cowboys' recently announced in-house battle comes with extremely questionable timing
If the Dallas Cowboys want to turn their 3-5-1 season around, they're going to need to protect quarterback Dak Prescott. So far, they haven't been doing so well enough.
Whenever the Cowboys need to deviate from their heavy play-action game plan, things get dicey in the trenches. A large reason for it is the offensive tackle position. Both left tackle Tyler Guyton and right tackle Terence Steele have struggled in pass protection dating back to last season, often requiring the coaching staff to come up with schematic answers to opponents' pass rush.
Leading into Week 11, things have gotten bad enough that in the middle of November, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters there was going to be an open competition at right tackle. That's right, Steele's job—once seemingly untouchable due to an $82.5 million contract—is officially up for grabs. And while I understand the decision to call for competition up front, the timing is extremely weird.
Cowboys are set to face Maxx Crosby with rotating tackles
If the competition means rotating Steele and backup Nate Thomas at right tackle, that means the Cowboys will be taking their starter in and out of the ballgame against Maxx Crosby, one of the best edge rushers in the game. Though I'm all for putting Steele under the spotlight and give Thomas a chance, I'm not sure the lack of in-game continuity is a good decision here.
The Las Vegas Raiders defense might be ranked only 19th in EPA/play, but Crosby is a game-wrecker when given the chance.
Pass protection and run blocking is all about chemistry up front and with this decision, the Cowboys will be asking Tyler Booker—the rookie who recently returned from injury—to have a different partner to his right throughout the game. The timing is questionable at best, but I understand the Cowboys might simply be concerned about sticking with Steele.
What is clear is, whoever is playing at the position will need help from the scheme to deal with Crosby. Chips, sprint outs, and bootlegs will be on full display on Monday Night Football.
Could Thomas wind up as the starter?
The man trying to steal Steele's job away is second-year player and former seventh-round pick, Nate Thomas. The young player is a violent and physical blocker who already threatened to take Steele's job back in Week 4, when he briefly took over Steele's spot on the offensive line before an injury to Guyton forced him to step up on the left side.
In three games played, Thomas has shown flashes of quality blocking. In that the to the Green Bay Packers, he handled Micah Parsons one-on-one at least twice. However, he has been far from perfect and his hand usage has gotten him in trouble more often than even Steele.
The reason why I could expect him to win the job is all about thinking forward. Steele's cap hit in 2026 is set to be over $18 million and the Cowboys have publicly second-guessed their own decision to extend him in the past. In other words, finding out what they have in the younger player makes sense. We'll see how he does if given the chance.
Titans' Jarvis Brownlee replacement just exposed Mike Borgonzi's biggest mistake
The Tennessee Titans are 1-6 following Sunday's 31-13 beatdown by Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots in Week 7. With the team struggling so badly, every move made by general manager Mike Borgonzi during the offseason and season is understandably being scrutinized. In a year littered with misses, arguably the most peculiar was the in-season trade of cornerback Jarvis Brownlee.
The Titans are a rebuilding roster that requires young talent. That made their decision to trade a starting-caliber sophomore cornerback in exchange for a late-round pick swap more puzzling. Making matters worse, his replacement Jalyn Armour-Davis is playing terribly.
Armour-Davis was acquired by Borgonzi when the Titans claimed him off waivers. Borgonzi inherited Brownlee from the previous regime and promptly traded away a good-performing player for nothing. It raises questions about the Titans' priorities when attempting to build out this roster.
Titans CB Jalyn Armour-Davis keeps exposing Mike Borgonzi's Jarvis Brownlee mistake
Armour-Davis was a liability against the Patriots both as a coverage defender and as a tackler. Pro Football Focus credited Armour-Davis with two missed tackles on Sunday. There's plenty of blame to go around as the Patriots rushed for nearly 200 yards, with Rhamondre Stevenson and Drake Maye torching the defense on the ground.
It was Armour-Davis who immediately stepped into the starting lineup following Brownlee's dismissal. He's allowed nine receptions on 12 targets for a catch-rate allowed percentage of 75%. Armour-Davis is allowing an explosive 15.9 yards per catch as opposing quarterbacks enjoy a passer rating of 114.2 when targeting him.
Making matters worse, the struggling L'Jarius Sneed exited Sunday's defeat with a familiar quad injury that derailed his 2024 season. A more telling health update on Sneed hasn't arrived yet, but Armour-Davis functioned as the CB1 following his departure, with Darrell Baker Jr. entering the lineup.
Armour-Davis is playing terribly. Every lackluster snap he takes further exposes the Titans' decision to trade Brownlee. Borgonzi and Chad Brinker shouldn't live down that error in judgment anytime soon.
