It is safe to say the Cowboys' offensive line is headed for a complete overhaul from last season.
We have seen Left Tackle Tyron Smith, a staple of the organization, head north to the Jets, and 4-year veteran Tyler Biadasz sign with the Washington Commanders.
Dallas will have two new starters in 2024.
Since they made no moves in free agency, they are going to have to get creative with the draft and their current depth.
This fact has dominated much of the discussion of the Cowboys roster this offseason.
The offensive line is likely to be their focus early in the 2024 NFL Draft, as we have heard CEO Stephen Jones say.
There will likely be training camp and preseason battles to dictate at least one starting spot as well. It is safe to say we will be talking about the Cowboys offensive line until further notice.
Which approach they decide to take is going to be a huge choice for Dallas, so let's take a look at three directions they can go in 2024.
Draft Left Tackle Early
The first, and perhaps the most likely approach for Dallas, is to find your new left tackle of the future early in the draft.
To put it bluntly, this year's tackle class is absolutely loaded.
There is a surplus of first-round-caliber tackle talent in the draft that does not come around very often. There could realistically be upwards of ten offensive linemen taken in the first round.
Names like Arizona's Jordan Morgan, Georgia's Amarius Mims, and Oklahoma's Tyler Guyton, are heavily connected to Dallas at this point.
All three of those guys would step in on day one as the starter at left tackle for the Cowboys.
Morgan, Mims, Guyton, and more are going to end up right in the range for the Cowboys with the 24th pick, so why not bring in one of them as the future left tackle?
As much as it makes sense from a draft position perspective, it also makes sense for the whole offensive line.
This is the path of least resistance on the offensive line.
Adding a left tackle allows Dallas to keep All-Pro Tyler Smith at left guard and either promote from within at center or bring in another rookie later in the draft.
Trusting a rookie with Dak Prescott's blindside is risky.
However, it could pay off in major ways, as it did in 2011 when the Cowboys drafted Smith.
Draft a Center, Move Smith
The Cowboys' draft options don't end with picking up a new left tackle.
They could also target another one of the strong position groups in this class with a brand-new starting center.
The aforementioned tackle class is overshadowing the interior guys, but they bring some serious potential too, and Dallas has interest.
Dallas will have had formal meetings with former Duke Blue Devil, Graham Barton, Oregon's Jackson Powers-Johnson, and West Virginia's Zach Frazier.
These are the top three guys to draft if you are looking for a new center.
The Cowboys meeting with all three shows they are considering doing just that.
Bringing in a center means moving Smith from his current left guard spot outside to left tackle, and then using either a middle-round rookie, T.J. Bass, or Brock Hoffman as your left guard.
While moving players around is always risky, this could be a great way to plug the hole at center and maximize Smith's full potential as a left tackle.
It seems likely the Cowboys will at least target the offensive line in the draft.
This draft strategy is a strong one, even if it means kicking Smith outside to tackle.
Keep It In-House
This would be a surprising route for the Cowboys to take, but it has some huge benefits.
The full expectation right now is Dallas will draft an offensive lineman early to fill the shoes of either Biadasz or Smith, but they do have names in-house that could take those spots.
Dallas can use their picks on wide receiver, running back, linebacker, and the defensive line.
Then, they can fill out the offensive line with Smith at left tackle, and promising young options in Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass at center and left guard.
Hoffman in particular is looking like a potential under-the-radar gem, and he is prepared to take on a bigger role.
This route allows the Cowboys to use their capital on other major needs, and it also gives them cheap, young, potential-filled options on the offensive line to develop with game action as they start a new era on the line.
For some obvious reasons, like Bass and Hoffman's lack of experience, this is a risky move.
But if it pays off there is no question that it would be worth it, and nobody knows the potential ability of Bass and Hoffman more than the Cowboys do.
The Cowboys have lots of needs heading into 2024.
This is one way they can as many as they can without using money in free agency.
More must-reads: