With the departure of Ronald Leary and the move of La’el Collins to right tackle, there was was suddenly a big hole to fill at the left guard position for the Dallas Cowboys. Opinions varied depending on who you talk to about who should start, but the Cowboys ultimately decided that Chaz Green was the best option. But, how much trust do the Dallas Cowboys actually have in Green to remain the starting LG for the entire season?
Trust is a funny thing. It can take a lifetime to earn, but only a few seconds to lose. So far, Chaz Green has earned the trust of the coaching staff and was granted the opportunity to become the starting LG for the 2017 season. Unfortunately, Green’s on the field performance has never been the problem. His problem has always been his inability to remain healthy.
Chaz Green has a long list of injuries dating back to his college days at Florida. He basically redshirted his first year with the Dallas Cowboys with a hip injury, and then was sidelined once again after four games, including two starts, in 2016 with toe and ankle injuries. He has already battled with a shoulder injury and cramps in 2017, which doesn’t really inspire a lot of confidence he will be available to start the entire season.
With all of that in mind though, the Dallas Cowboys still believed that Chaz Green was their best option to start at the left guard position. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I personally believe it was the right one.
I’ve always believed that Chaz Green was the Dallas Cowboys fifth best offensive lineman. Every time he has had to step up because of injuries he performed really well. It didn’t matter if it was at left tackle for Tyron Smith or right tackle. He always stepped up and handled the job regardless of position. Now, he has to seize the opportunity he’s being given and become this years starting LG.
He had a pretty solid debut at LG against the New York Giants last Sunday night (see Kevin Brady’s breakdown of Green’s Week 1 performance against Giants) and I’m hoping he can build on that momentum against the Denver Broncos this week. The Broncos don’t have the interior “beef” the Giants did, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t talented.
Chaz Green has all the talent to become an NFL starter at just about any position on the offensive line. The only thing that has held him back so far in his career is injuries. Let’s all hope that he is able to put all of that behind him and finally prove why the Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the third round a few years ago.
