OXNARD, Calif. — The Dallas Cowboys offensive line did not play well in the first half at Seattle, and coach Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday the group has spent the week on the specifics rather than the effort.
For Schottenheimer, the fixes start with technique — where a lineman’s pads are, where his hands land, and how he gets there.
“Very dialed in, big emphasis on pad level, combination blocks, fits of combination blocks, footwork, all the little things,” Schottenheimer said. “When you play offensive line and you struggle early in a game, there’s usually reasons for it. It’s usually hat placement, it’s pad level.”
He went further into what a lineman has to get right before contact.
“Offensive line is all about want to,” Schottenheimer continued. “But you need to understand what type of step to take, drop step, zone step, vertical step, and then how to strike and what landmark to hit. And it’s very, very technical.”
Schottenheimer also said a reporter had jinxed the team by asking about the line’s pad level the week before the Seattle game.
Dallas beat Seattle 17-7 in the preseason opener on Aug. 15. Most of the Cowboys starters did not play. Schottenheimer said Aug. 3 that Dallas plans to sit most of its starters across all three preseason games.
Who Is Actually Playing Up Front For The Dallas Cowboys
Terence Steele is the right tackle again in 2026. He has started 91 of the 96 games he has played since Dallas signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech in 2020, started all 17 last season, and took 98% of the offensive snaps.
Tyler Smith is at left guard. Cooper Beebe is at center and Tyler Booker at right guard. Booker played more than 1,000 snaps as a rookie last season and was flagged 5 times.
The open question is at left tackle. Tyler Guyton has taken work there throughout camp, with Nate Thomas getting his opportunities as well.
Schottenheimer has not named Guyton the starter. Earlier this month, he said Thomas would need to raise his level if the battle at left tackle was going to stay a competition.
Guyton missed part of an Aug. 4 practice with an elbow injury and returned two days later with the elbow taped. Both he and Thomas were flagged for false starts in that stretch.
BT Jordan Brings A New Voice To The Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line
Dallas hired pass rush specialist consultant BT Jordan from Denver this offseason. Schottenheimer asked Jordan to show the offensive linemen the pass rush plans that opponents had designed against them, pointing out weaknesses.
Steele said in May he had not heard that kind of information before and wanted to keep working with Jordan on it.
Klayton Adams is in his second season as offensive coordinator. Philadelphia asked to interview him for its offensive coordinator vacancy after last season, and Schottenheimer denied the request.
Dallas plays at the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday. The Cowboys close the preseason against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. CT.
