Competition Announced
With the season opener against the New York Giants just two weeks away, Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday that newly acquired offensive lineman Broderick Jones will compete with Terence Steele for the starting right tackle job. The Cowboys acquired Jones from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, sending 2027 third- and sixth-round selections to Pittsburgh and receiving a 2027 fourth-round pick in return, as reported by ESPN.
Schottenheimer said he immediately reached out to Steele to inform him of the competition. "When we made the trade, the first thing I did was I reached out to Terence Steele and told Terence that Broderick's coming here to compete with him to be the starting right tackle," Schottenheimer said, according to ESPN. He added that Steele responded, "Schotty, I get it. I appreciate the phone call. You didn't have to make the phone call," to which Schottenheimer replied, "I did because I respect you that much as a teammate and a player."
The Competitors
Jones, the 14th overall pick out of Georgia in the 2023 draft, started 38 of the 45 games he played in three seasons with the Steelers, splitting time between left and right tackle. He missed the final six games of last season after an awkward hit to his neck on Nov. 23 against Chicago, going on injured reserve and undergoing season-ending fusion surgery that required a lengthy rehab, as reported by the Associated Press. ESPN reported that Jones was cleared to return at the start of training camp, and Schottenheimer said the Cowboys were comfortable with his health based on his preseason performance.
Steele, an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech, emerged as a bright spot in Dallas's otherwise dismal 2020 pandemic season, starting 14 of 16 games as a rookie. He has started all 17 games in each of the past three seasons and has opened the last 23 games at right tackle, according to ESPN. The Associated Press noted that Steele's performance has been spotty in recent seasons and did not improve much in training camp this year, leading to the trade.
Coach's Approach
Schottenheimer said the team will not move Jones around the line. "We're not going to move Broderick around," he said, as quoted by both outlets. He also told third-year left tackle Tyler Guyton that the move did not affect Dallas's 2024 first-round pick, a call the coach made before speaking with Steele, according to the Associated Press.
With six practices remaining before the Giants game, Schottenheimer said Jones will spend significant time with offensive line coach Conor Riley and assistant Kyle Fuller. "He'll be learning on the fly," Schottenheimer said, per ESPN. The coach also said he told Steele they need to find the right way to get him work without overworking him.
"There's some fundamental things that we're excited that we feel like we can kind of tighten up," Schottenheimer said. "I know he's really excited to be here. Sometimes a change of scenery is a good thing."