FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer called Terence Steele the day Dallas traded for Broderick Jones and told him Jones was coming to compete for the starting right tackle job, Schottenheimer said Monday at The Star.
Dallas acquired Jones and a 2027 fourth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday for 2027 third- and sixth-round picks. Jones went 14th overall in the 2023 draft and has played 45 games with 38 starts.
Steele told Schottenheimer on the call that he understood and that the call was not necessary.
“When we made the trade, the first thing I did was I reached out to Terence Steele and told Terence that Broderick’s coming here to compete with him to be the starting right tackle,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re not going to move Broderick around. As you guys can imagine, Terence Steele was the ultimate pro. ‘Schotty, I get it. I appreciate the phone call. You didn’t have to make the phone call.’ I said I did because I respect you that much as a teammate and a player.”
Broderick Jones Will Not Move Around The Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line
Tyler Guyton is the starting left tackle with rookie Drew Shelton behind him, and right tackle is the competition. Schottenheimer called Guyton after the trade as well.
“I also called Tyler Guyton when we made the trade, and I wanted to make sure Tyler Guyton understood that this has nothing to do with him,” Schottenheimer continued. “He’s playing his tail off. He’s doing great. At some point, as the competition comes clear, everybody has to swing. Right now, left tackle, Tyler Guyton backed up by Drew. Then right tackle is a competition between Terence and Broderick.”
Guyton was the 29th overall pick in 2024 and has 21 starts in 25 games.
Terence Steele’s Workload And Restructured Contract
Steele has started 91 of his 96 career games since arriving as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech in 2020. He started all 17 games last season. Dallas restructured his contract in the offseason, reducing his 2026 salary and converting money into guaranteed bonuses.
Steele has never asked for a practice rep off, and Schottenheimer said the staff has to find a way to get him his work without overworking him.
“Elite. Elite professional,” Schottenheimer explained. “Terence is one of those guys. And one of the things I said to Terence, just sharing with you guys more than I probably planned to, was we need to figure out the right way to get him his work but also not overwork him. He’s played a lot of football around here. That’s a little bit of us having to find, okay, what’s the right way to do this. You are competing now with Broderick, but the conversation with him was very easy. That’s what you love about the guy. I wouldn’t bet against Terence Steele.”
Steele is the right tackle 1A, and Jones has to show he can do the job.
“So no one’s saying Terence isn’t going to be the starter,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re saying that Broderick was brought here for a reason, and these are competitions that we have in a lot of different spots. Just because it’s 10 days or 13 days removed from opening day, we’ve got time to make those decisions.”
Broderick Jones Returned From A Neck Injury In February
Pittsburgh played Jones on both sides of the line this preseason to establish his health. Dallas watched him pull and finish blocks on film before completing the physical work on the trade.
Jones suffered the injury in Week 12 last season against the Chicago Bears, went on injured reserve in late November, and was activated on Feb. 15. Pittsburgh declined his fifth-year option in May and drafted tackle Max Iheanachor 21st overall.
Jones has a base salary of about $1.5 million in 2026 and becomes a free agent after the season.
Ramp-Up Week Before The Dallas Cowboys Open At The Giants
Jones has spent hours with offensive line coach Conor Riley and assistant Kyle Fuller.
“And this is what we’re calling a ramp-up week,” Schottenheimer said. “So we’re going to get these guys back, get them thinking some football. We’re going to ramp them up from acclimation, getting used to the heat. But I’ve seen right tackles and receivers and DBs come in and play within a week of really a couple days. And we’ll see how he does learning. But he’s a very talented young man, and we think he and Terence will have a heck of a battle.”
The Cowboys practice Tuesday in shells for an hour and a half and Wednesday for an hour and 45 minutes. Wednesday’s practice starts at 8 a.m. CT.
Dallas opens the regular season Sept. 13 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
