FRISCO, Texas — Terence Steele is competing to keep a job he has started for 23 straight games, against a tackle the Dallas Cowboys gave up two 2027 draft picks to get.
“Obviously it’s the essential theme of the program, compete every day,” Steele said. “Yeah, this is the league, you know what I’m saying? It’s one of the hardest businesses, hardest sports in the world, just because they’re always bringing new guys in to compete with you. And it brings the best out of everyone though. So I think it’s for the betterment of the team, pushes guys to be great.”
Steele arrived undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2020 and has started 91 of his 96 career games. He started all 17 games in each of the last three seasons. Last season he played 1,162 offensive snaps, 98% of the total, and was flagged 3 times.
Pro Football Focus graded Steele 54.9 in pass blocking last season, 76th among 89 qualified tackles. Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams said on Aug. 19 that he and Steele had talked that morning about finding consistency.
Steele took a pay cut in March and restructured into a three-year deal worth $33 million, with $22 million fully guaranteed, a $10.5 million signing bonus, and a maximum value of $36 million. His contract carries $34.1 million in dead money, per Spotrac.
Brian Schottenheimer On The Terence Steele And Broderick Jones Right Tackle Competition
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said the offensive line has gotten more athletic since Dallas added Broderick Jones and Wanya Morris.
“I think it’s one of those things that’s going to be ongoing. I think Terence Steele is the starting right tackle right now,” Schottenheimer said. “Broderick’s here learning, doing an awesome job learning. And I think one thing we’ve done is we’ve gotten a lot more athletic overall as an offensive line unit. When you look at Broderick coming on board, Wanya coming on board, I think that’s a good thing for us. We’ve got some depth now at tackles. Drew Shelton, I think, is going to be a really good football player.”
“We’ll see how the week goes and we’ll see how the numbers play as we carry the eight offensive linemen,” Schottenheimer continued. “We’ve got to figure that out throughout the week and we’ve got time to do that. Really like what Broderick’s done, coming in and learning the system. Very unique athlete when you watch him move and play.”
Dallas acquired Jones and a 2027 fourth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 29 for 2027 third- and sixth-round picks. Jones went 14th overall in the 2023 draft out of Georgia, where he won two College Football Playoff national championships. He has 38 starts in 45 games across three seasons in Pittsburgh. He played 11 games last season and missed the final six after a hit to his neck on Nov. 23 against the Chicago Bears, then had season-ending fusion surgery.
Schottenheimer said Jones will focus solely on the right side and has been working with offensive line coach Conor Riley and assistant offensive line coach Kyle Fuller. Dallas traded Nathan Thomas to the Houston Texans on Aug. 30, a day after the Jones deal.
Terence Steele On Brian Schottenheimer’s Phone Call After The Broderick Jones Trade
Schottenheimer said two days after the trade that he called Steele the day it happened and told him Jones was coming to compete for the starting job, and that Steele told him the call had not been necessary.
Klayton Adams and Conor Riley called Steele afterward as well.
“Yeah just as a man, that means a lot to me,” Steele explained. “Just give me a heads up, keep it real with me. Yeah, I respect him a ton for that. Klayton (Adams) and Conor Riley called me as well after. Respect them for that too.”
The Cowboys open the season without Tyler Smith. Schottenheimer said Monday that Smith will have surgery on his left thumb Tuesday and will likely go on injured reserve with a designation to return, a four-to-six-week absence. T.J. Bass steps in at left guard. Tyler Guyton is the starting left tackle, with rookie Drew Shelton behind him.
Dallas finished 7-9-1 in 2025 and has missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. The Cowboys open at the New York Giants on Sunday. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is set for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
