The Cowboys wasted no time making a statement as roster cutdown weekend began, sending third- and sixth-round picks in 2027 to Pittsburgh in exchange for Broderick Jones and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
Dallas clearly sees Jones as more than a depth piece. He’s viewed as an upgrade over Drew Shelton and the recently traded Nate Thomas, and the team also expects him to push Terence Steele at right tackle. Jones still has work to do before he’s ready to get on the field after spinal fusion surgery, including adding more muscle mass, but the Cowboys are already setting up a path for him to compete.
That path comes with a pretty blunt admission from Brian Schottenheimer: Dallas is “retraining” some of the techniques Jones learned in Pittsburgh, according to Nicole Hutchison of DallasCowboys.com.
For the Cowboys, that’s a pretty clear signal that they believe Jones’ issues were as much about coaching and development as raw talent. His tape has shown the usual red flags - crossing his feet, getting out of balance at the point of attack, and inconsistent hand placement - all of which have kept him from living up to his first-round status. Dallas’ offensive line staff, led by Klayton Adams and Conor Riley, now gets the job of cleaning that up.
Schottenheimer’s comment also lands as a shot across the bow, even if that wasn’t his intent. Saying a player has to be retrained after arriving from another team naturally raises questions about what he was being taught before.
At the same time, Pittsburgh can point to a pretty solid run of offensive line development. Troy Fautanu, a 2024 first-round pick, took Jones’ spot at left tackle.
Zach Frazier, also a 2024 draftee, has settled in as a dependable center. Mason McCormick, a fourth-round pick, has grown into a capable starting guard, and 2023 seventh-rounder Spencer Anderson has done enough to start at left guard.
Jones himself pointed to the shuffle as part of the problem. When asked what went wrong in Pittsburgh, he said “bouncing around [positions]” was a “challenge.” He spent his first two seasons at right tackle before moving to left tackle in 2025.
The snap counts tell the story of that movement through three seasons, via Pro Football Focus: 2023: 635 snaps at LT, 122 at LT; 2024: 1,059 snaps at RT, 7 at LT; 2025: 0 snaps at RT, 632 at LT.
Dallas is trying to remove that variable altogether. Jones is set to work only at right tackle, where he’ll begin as Steele’s backup but has a chance to take over the job down the line. Wanya Morris, added from the practice squad, is expected to back up Tyler Guyton at left tackle.
The Cowboys are betting that sticking Jones in one spot, and only one spot, can finally give him the repetition and muscle memory he’s been missing. Different side of the line, different footwork, different balance, different hand placement - and, Dallas hopes, a much cleaner path forward.
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For a team that has seen plenty of linemen cycle through the roster, Smerek stands out because he stuck as a pass rusher and made his mark without the draft pedigree or the easy path. Other players have worn 60 since then, and Tyler Guyton has it now, but the number still invites a look back at a player whose Cowboys story was built on resilience as much as production. [Read more 🡒]