The Dallas Cowboys offensive line is one of the best positional units in the entire NFL. While the technical play of tackles and guards doesn’t interest many casual fans, there’s no doubt that Cowboys Nation can appreciate a perfectly executed zone blocking play with the likes of Tyron Smith, La’el Collins, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, and Doug Free all blocking in harmony.
This very offensive line continued to do some amazing things in 2015, such as leading Darren McFadden to 1,089 yards on the ground. As we know, these yards turned out to be mostly empty, as Dallas won just 4 games and McFadden found the end zone just 3 times.
Ezekiel Elliott is the player that made the pain of that 2015 season go away. Selected with the fourth overall pick, the running back out of Ohio State is beyond ready to run in the silver and blue.
Elliott certainly should be excited, because he may be walking into the perfect situation in terms of his offensive line. The expectations for him and this team will be to mimic the 2014 season that brought Jason Garrett and the Cowboys a divisional title at 12-4.
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DeMarco Murray was the reason for the Cowboys domination then, running mainly behind a rookie Zack Martin. Zeke Elliott, who is a better zone runner than Murray, will get the luxury of running behind a much more developed right guard in Martin, among other great luxuries.
Doug Free is still a veteran in place next to Martin on the right side of the line, but he may now face some competition for 2016 in Chaz Green. The competition at this right tackle position will only further guarantee that the Cowboys get the best player possible in this spot for the majority of the snaps.
Tyron Smith is as solid as it gets on the left side at tackle, and he will be playing outside of a dominant rookie from 2015 in LG La’el Collins.
Finally, there is Travis Frederick, who has starred in all three seasons with Dallas as the starting center following his selection in the first-round of the 2013 draft. Perhaps no starting lineman will welcome Tony Romo and Ezekiel Elliott to the offense more than Frederick, who dealt with the carousel of quarterbacks this team deployed through 2015.
It’s a scary thought for the rest of the league that the Cowboys offensive line could come together in 2016 to be the best we’ve ever seen from the group, while having the continuity to block for a true workhorse back in Ezekiel Elliott.
For Cowboys Nation, it’s exactly what we’re ready to see, as the recharged Dallas Cowboys look to reclaim their dominance of two years ago –
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