FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams said Thursday that Broderick Jones will be held to a different physical standard than the one he arrived with, and that he told the tackle a day earlier that this week has to show a jump. Dallas hosts the Washington Commanders on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX.
Where Jones was when Dallas got him is part of what Adams is working around.
“I think that the physical part of it is just going to take time. We want you to be this weight or whatever. I’m not sure how some of those things maybe fell through the cracks with where he was at, but that’s part of the thing,” Adams said. “We’re going to probably have a little bit different physical standard for him and what he weighs.”
Dallas acquired Jones from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 29 along with a 2027 fourth-round pick, sending Pittsburgh 2027 third- and sixth-round picks. Selected 14th overall in 2023 out of Georgia, Jones has played 45 games with 38 starts at both tackle spots. He started 11 games at left tackle for Pittsburgh in 2025 before a neck injury in Week 12 against the Chicago Bears ended his season and required spinal fusion surgery. The Steelers declined his fifth-year option in April and drafted a tackle in the first round.
Klayton Adams On What Has Changed Since The Trade
The mental side has moved faster, Adams said, and the translating has slowed down.
“In terms of what we do and what we’re asking him to do, you’re starting to see much more familiarity,” Adams said. “I had said, I think, last week that he was translating. I think there’s less of that going on.”
Adams put a deadline on the next step in a conversation Wednesday.
“What I said to him yesterday was, all right, we need to see a jump this week now. We need to see you starting to understand our expectations,” Adams explained. “And there’s little nuances in the way that a certain offense will fit a combination block. You need to do it like the Dallas Cowboys this week. So we’re headed that direction. I think he’s starting to understand what our standards are and some of those things.”
Dallas practiced in pads Thursday.
The Rest Of The Cowboys Tackle Room
Tyler Guyton started the opener at left tackle in his first game since Dallas placed him on season-ending injured reserve with an ankle injury on Dec. 24, 2025. The 2024 first-round pick started all 10 of his appearances last season.
“While there were plays that we wanted him to be a little bit better, it was what I would have expected Tyler in week one to be able to say, okay, there’s going to be some reps where you’re blocking good players on your own, and he’s headed that direction,” Adams said.
Drew Shelton, the fourth-round pick out of Penn State taken 112th overall, played as an extra lineman and lost his first NFL rep before going back in.
“He will always probably look back at the first NFL play of his career and not be super excited about it. It wasn’t a great rep. He’s going against a good player and made a mistake,” Adams said. “What I love the most about Drew Shelton was just the confidence that he had coming back to the sideline. It wasn’t too big for him. He was excited to go back in when we gave him another opportunity, and he really played well in the other reps that we had him in.”
Dallas ran 18 times for 69 yards at the New York Giants and averaged 3.8 yards a carry in the 28-20 loss.
