Jerry Jones plans to keep Terence Steele at tackle in 2023, shuts down move to left guard
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones intends to keep Terence Steele as an offensive tackle for the 2023 season. According to Cowboys reporter Clarence Hill Jr., Jones shut down the idea of moving Steele to left guard on Monday, saying he is “too valuable as a swing tackle tandem behind starters Tyler Smith and Tyron Smith.”
Steele is set to enter his fourth season in Dallas this year. He has made 40 starts over the past three seasons, seeing time at both the left and right tackle positions. He is coming off of an ACL and MCL tear that caused him to miss the final four games of the regular season and the playoffs.
Steele spent his college years at Texas Tech from 2015-19, where he played multiple positions on the offensive line. He mostly played right tackle for the Red Raiders while blocking for Patrick Mahomes, but also saw time at left tackle and left guard.
This past season, Terence Steele played 818 offensive snaps for the Cowboys, earning a grade of 73.9 according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed just one sack and committed six penalties. He was especially valuable after Tyron Smith suffered a torn hamstring in training camp, causing him to miss the majority of the season.
Dallas allowed 27 sacks as a team in 2022 to rank fourth in the NFL. Boosting the passing game has been a big priority for the Cowboys this offseason, as they traded for receiver Brandin Cooks to pair with CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup. They also released three-time Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott, who had been with the team for the past seven seasons.
With quarterback Dak Prescott leading the way, Dallas finished 11th in the league with 354.9 passing yards per game. Prescott has dealt with a number of different injuries over the past three years and it’s clear a solid offensive line to protect him and keep him healthy will be key in 2023.
Vegas sets win total odds for Dallas Cowboys in 2023
After logging two back-to-back 12-win regular seasons, the Dallas Cowboys have re-vamped both the coaching staff and the roster for 2023 this offseason. Despite the numerous departures and additions, the Las Vegas oddsmakers set the opening lines for the Cowboys’ 2023 win total at 9.5 games.
Two teams opened with odds set for 11.5 wins – the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers’ opening line is 11 wins. Only three more teams have betting odds for winning 10 or more wins, the Jacksonville Jaguars (10 wins), the Philadelphia Eagles (10.5) and the Buffalo Bills (10.5).
For Dallas, the over 9.5 line is -135 and the under 9.5 is currently +105. Last year, the Cowboys opened with a 10.5-game win total. They exceeded that total despite the early-season injury to Dak Prescott.
On3’s Nikki Chavanelle contributed to this report.