Cowboys O-Line Welcomes Back Two Starters After Injuries

The Dallas Cowboys' offensive line may return to form after all, now that Tyron Smith and La'el Collins have officially come back for OTAs.

After two games last season, Tyron Smith was placed on IR due to a neck injury that led to season-ending surgery. In 2019, Smith played 13 games and was named a Pro Bowler after allowing one sack all season. 

La’el Collins became an integral part of the offensive line after filling in for the retiring Doug Free. Collins received a five-year contract in 2019, but was placed on season-ending IR last season to rehab a hip injury. 

The Cowboys finished with a 6-10 record and third in the NFC East standings, beating out only the Philadelphia Eagles.  

In 2020, the Cowboys' offensive line allowed 34 QB sacks between Dak Prescott and interim starter Andy Dalton. Dak accumulated 10 sacks before his season-ending injury in Week 5 against the New York Giants.  

The Dallas Cowboys are finding an abundance of talent across the depth chart: an elite trio at wide receiver, rising talent on defense with Micah Parsons, the addition of Dan Quinn as defensive coordinator, and the return of starting QB Dak Prescott. So their offensive line should be the primary x-factor for the upcoming season. Hopefully, they rebound as a unit and match the other strong components in Dallas. 

It’ll be an interesting year to monitor at Jerry World. The Cowboys will have one of the toughest schedules in the league, and a number of headlines from the NFC East — the Giants’ offseason acquisitions, and the sophomore season of DROY Chase Young — pose a daunting outlook for Dallas. The Cowboys’ path to the playoffs should create matchups more terrifying than dog-sitting for Ezekiel Elliott.