'He needs to be better': Cowboys RT Terence Steele could be on hot seat after Brian Schottenheimer comments

Dallas Cowboys second-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer hasn't loved what he has seen from right tackle Terence Steele in training camp and the preseason. 

Schottenheimer spoke on the right side of the offensive line on Wednesday, giving Steele a poor performance review. 

Brian Schottenheimer challenges Terence Steele 

"T-Steele's got to play a little more consistent," Schottenheimer told ESPN's Todd Archer (h/t HITC's Aryan Chadha). "He has had couple days where he's been a little bit dropping his pads and getting edged a little bit. He needs to be better." 

Steele, whom Dallas signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020, was already entering a potential make-or-break year. Sports Info Solutions credited him with a career-worst 52 blown blocks (41 passing and 11 rushing) on 1,080 snaps in 17 games last season. Per the site, he had the third-most blown blocks among O-linemen.  

Dallas doesn't want to hear he's struggling again after reworking his contract — which keeps him with the team through 2028 — this offseason. The Cowboys adjusted his 2026 base salary from $46M to $33M. Before that, he was considered a potential cut candidate. 

Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams suspects Steele's decline ties to the Cowboys overworking him. Over the past three seasons, he played 3,265 snaps after lining up on 2,547 in his first three seasons. 

"He and I had a good conversation about this morning of how we continue to try to find consistency," Adams said. "The guy that's going into Year 7, and he's never going to ask for a day off. He's never going to ask for a break. So we're just searching for ways to help him and help him play at his best and most consistently." 

A little rest and relaxation never hurts, and that could certainly benefit Steele, who now faces even more pressure. The Cowboys clearly expected more out of him, and if he doesn't get it together soon, they may begin giving more reps to rookie Drew Shelton (pick No. 112 of the 2026 NFL Draft). Per SIS, he blew 17 blocks on 706 snaps (eight passing and nine rushing) in 12 games for the Penn State Nittany Lions in 2025. 

"Shelton is an athletic mover who possesses the range, athleticism and intelligence to be a solid backup OT, but he needs to improve his overall play strength if he's going to compete with elite NFL talent on a consistent basis," wrote SIS's Jaime Hare in his scouting report.

Surely, Dallas doesn't want to have to trust unproven Shelton, who turns 23 on Dec. 26, to protect quarterback Dak Prescott, a four-time Pro Bowler. The Cowboys hope Steele responds to Schottenheimer's callout and improves rapidly before they open the regular season on the road against the New York Giants on Sept. 13 (NBC, 8:20 p.m. ET).