DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys must be down to 53 players by Sunday evening, and behind their starting tackles are Nate Thomas and rookie Drew Shelton. On Aug. 24, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said his work with offensive coordinator Klayton Adams and offensive line coach Conor Riley has focused on hand usage and how the two set against wide and tight techniques.
“Both incredibly talented, but they need to continue to grow and some of it’s fundamental,” Schottenheimer said. “Both of them think the game very well, but there’s fundamental things that we’re talking about with Klayton and Conor Riley that both guys can improve on, and some of it’s your hand usage and replacing your hands and things like that, and how you set versus a wide technique and a tight technique. Very technical things that both those guys are still learning.”
Cowboys Wire listed Houston Texans tackle Blake Fisher on Thursday among four offensive line targets for Dallas. It is a writer’s proposal rather than reported trade interest, and no discussions between the two teams have been reported. The other three names were Las Vegas Raiders guard Jordan Meredith, Buffalo Bills lineman Nick Broeker, and free-agent tackle Jonah Williams.
Thomas came to Dallas as a seventh-round pick in 2024, taken 233rd overall out of Louisiana. Over two seasons he has appeared in 17 games and started four of them. Dallas spent a fourth-round pick on Shelton in April, 112th overall, after he started at left tackle for Penn State in each of the past two seasons.
What Blake Fisher Has Done In Houston
In the second round of the 2024 draft, Houston took Fisher 59th overall out of Notre Dame. He is 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds and wears No. 57. Through two seasons he has appeared in 31 games and started 15 of them.
Last season Fisher was on the field for 337 offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He gave up six pressures and did not allow a sack, and he was flagged five times. PFF graded him at 67.6 overall, which ranked 42nd among the 89 tackles who qualified, with a 61.8 grade in pass blocking and a 69.4 grade in run blocking.
Over the same season, Thomas graded at 31.6 in pass blocking and 52.9 in run blocking.
Fisher has two years remaining on his rookie contract, at $1.3 million in 2026 and $1.6 million in 2027. He has spent this preseason in a competition for Houston’s swing tackle job.
The Scheme Klayton Adams Runs
Adams is in his second season as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator. Schottenheimer hired him in February 2025, after Adams had spent two years coaching the offensive line for the Arizona Cardinals, and Schottenheimer calls the plays himself.
In 2024, the Arizona Cardinals ranked seventh in the NFL for rushing yards per game at 144.2 and second for yards per carry at 5.3, with Adams coaching the offensive line. That season, the team allowed 30 sacks, the fifth-fewest in the league.
Fisher has experience in a Houston scheme that emphasizes gaps, requiring tackles to pull and reach the second level.
Dallas and the other 31 clubs have until 5 p.m. CT on Sunday to reach 53 players. Waiver claims begin at noon CT on Monday. Priority runs are based on last season’s standings, so the lowest-ranked teams select first. Dallas opens the regular season against the New York Giants.
