DALLAS — Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Friday that he is looking forward to right tackle Terence Steele “surprising folks” this season, 13 days after Dallas traded for Broderick Jones to compete with Steele for the job. Jerry Jones made the comments on the K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan.
Steele is listed as the starter on the Cowboys’ unofficial depth chart released Tuesday, with Broderick Jones second. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday that Steele is the starting right tackle right now.
Steele played 1,162 offensive snaps last season, 98% of the team total, and started all 17 games. An offensive lineman gets recognized for the two or three snaps a game he gets beat on, Jerry Jones said.
“You’re in for 60-some-odd snaps the ball game,” Jerry Jones said. “And, of course, an offensive lineman so often is recognized by those two or three snaps that he messed up on, he got beat on. But that’s it. You have to have the consistency. And so many plays, Steele does really well. And he’s basically, with his experience, his background that he’s got, we’re hopeful that experience will prevail here and let us have the highest percentage of snaps that he’s out there successful.”
Steele signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech in 2020. He has started 91 of his 96 games.
In March, he took a pay cut and restructured into a three-year deal worth $33 million, with $22 million fully guaranteed. Pro Football Focus graded his pass blocking at 54.9 last season, 76th among 89 qualified tackles.
Terence Steele And The Broderick Jones Trade
Dallas acquired Broderick Jones and a 2027 fourth-round pick from Pittsburgh on Aug. 29 for 2027 third- and sixth-round picks. Pittsburgh drafted him 14th overall in 2023 out of Georgia.
Broderick Jones started 38 of his 45 games across three seasons with the Steelers. A hit to his neck on Nov. 23 against Chicago cost him the final six games of 2025. He had fusion surgery afterward.
Schottenheimer said on Aug. 31 that Steele was the right tackle 1A and that Broderick Jones would take no snaps on the left side.
Steele has shown in the past that he can be the kind of lineman who gets in front of his man and keeps him away from the quarterback, Jerry Jones said.
“Just get in front of him, keep him off the quarterback, keep him out of the hole, do something to get in his way and make something happen for the offense,” Jerry Jones explained. “Steele’s capable of being that kind of player. He’s shown it in the past. And I’m looking forward to him basically surprising folks as we move on into the season.”
Tyler Guyton, Drew Shelton, And The Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line
Tyler Guyton starts at left tackle, with fourth-round rookie Drew Shelton behind him.
Guard Tyler Smith had surgery on his left thumb and went on injured reserve with a designation to return this week. T.J. Bass moves into the starting lineup in his place.
Kickoff Sunday against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
