Cowboys Tough Enough? O-Line Pushes Back, Moves Up In Rankings

The Dallas Cowboys spent Week 1 hearing exactly what no offensive line wants to hear.

They got pushed around, and Brian Schottenheimer said it himself after New York outrushed Dallas 165-69 in a 28-20 season-opening loss. The Giants were the more physical team. The Cowboys had been "humbled".

For a team that has made toughness and physicality part of its identity under Schottenheimer, that cut deeper than one bad rushing total.

Four games into the season … Dallas deserves some credit for how it has responded.

The turnaround did not happen overnight. The Cowboys beat Washington 37-20 the following week, but the problems up front were still difficult to ignore. Dallas rushed for just 66 yards after managing only 69 against New York, and ESPN's Run Block Win Rate had the Cowboys sitting at the bottom of the NFL.

Even entering Houston, Dallas remained last in the metric at 67 percent.

The results on the field, though, had already started moving in another direction.

Dallas rushed for 148 yards against Baltimore, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Javonte Williams accounted for 98 on 19 attempts and scored once, giving the Cowboys their first 100-yard rushing performance of the season.

For the first time, the run game looked capable of doing more than simply keeping defenses honest.

Then came Houston, where Williams did not have the same room and finished with 62 yards on 19 carries. But when Dallas needed to finish drives, it kept putting the ball in his hands.

He scored three rushing touchdowns — all after halftime — as the Cowboys erased a 10-point deficit and escaped with a 34-30 win.

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That gives Williams 160 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns over the last two games. Those scores are the easiest evidence to see, but the more encouraging part might be what is happening in front of him.

PFF moved Dallas 10 spots to No. 14 in its offensive-line rankings entering Houston, specifically pointing toward the development of Tyler Guyton and Tyler Booker. It called Guyton's early-season improvement a "significant step forward," while Booker earned an 86.1 run-blocking grade against Baltimore.

Through three games, Guyton carried a 76.9 overall grade and an 82.5 run-blocking grade, the latter ranking fifth among qualifying tackles. He also had not allowed a sack.

For a player whose consistency was one of Dallas' biggest questions up front, that is a meaningful step. The Cowboys did not need Guyton to become flawless overnight … they needed signs that the young left tackle was starting to settle in.

They are getting them.

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Booker has been just as encouraging. Entering Houston, his 78.8 overall grade ranked seventh among guards, while his 75.4 run-blocking grade ranked 10th. He had allowed only two pressures with no sacks or quarterback hits through three games.

Beebe has quietly made it a trio, carrying a 73.4 run-blocking grade that ranked fourth among centers entering Houston. He had also yet to allow a sack or quarterback hit.

Guyton is 24. Booker is 22. Beebe is 25.

That is where this becomes more interesting than Williams simply finding the end zone four times in two weeks. Dallas might be watching the young foundation of its offensive line take shape in real time.

There are still reasons to keep this in perspective. The Cowboys remained last in ESPN's Run Block Win Rate entering Houston, Williams averaged only 3.3 yards per carry Sunday and Dak Prescott was sacked three times.

The problems up front have not vanished … but the response has been real.

Dallas was challenged after Week 1. Its toughness was questioned, the run game sputtered again against Washington and the offensive line had every reason to hear criticism.

Since then, Williams has scored four rushing touchdowns, the ground game has found life and Guyton, Booker and Beebe have started giving Dallas real signs that its young core up front is growing up.

The Cowboys got pushed around to start the season.

Lately, they have been the ones doing the pushing.