The Cowboys were smart to keep T.J. Bass, and the payoff is already staring them in the face.
Dallas had trade interest for Bass all offseason and again at roster cut-downs, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, but the team shut the door. That matters even more now, with All-Pro guard Tyler Smith potentially out more than a month after thumb surgery. What looked like a depth move has suddenly become a crucial one.
"The Cowboys received trade inquiries for Bass during the offseason and at roster cut-downs but told teams he was off limits," Fowler wrote."That decision paid off. Now, he steps into a starter's role for the short term."
Keeping Bass also spared the Cowboys from a mess they really didn’t need. If he had been dealt, Dallas would have been staring at a far shakier interior line situation, with Nick Leverett and Cooper Beebe likely getting pulled into a much more complicated shuffle.
Beebe has been the center since arriving in Dallas, but he played every offensive line spot in college except center and logged 1,847 snaps at left guard. In theory, he could have moved.
In practice, that would have meant two replacements for one injury - exactly the kind of chain reaction the Cowboys avoided.
Bass isn’t just a warm body, either. He’s not listed as the official depth chart answer, but he’s effectively the team’s top backup at all three interior spots, including center.
He hasn’t taken a regular-season snap there, but he has 490 snaps at left guard and 515 at right guard. Dallas has already leaned on him before, too.
Last season he filled in after Tyler Booker suffered a high-ankle sprain, and he was back in the spotlight again when Tyler Guyton’s late-season absence forced Tyler Smith out to left tackle and opened a lane for Bass at left guard.
That kind of reliability is why other teams were calling. Offensive line depth gets expensive fast in the NFL, and Bass has shown enough to draw attention. Dallas even got something back for Nate Thomas, who was headed for a cut before the Houston Texans stepped in.
If the Cowboys had moved Bass, the names behind Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker would not inspire much confidence. Leverett flashed enough this summer to knock Trevor Keegan off the roster, but he has appeared in only 10 games over the last three seasons.
Cornelius has just one appearance in two years. He arrived as a tackle out of Rhode Island after previously playing at Oregon and moved to guard this offseason, and while he put decent preseason film on tape, that’s a long way from being trusted in the regular season with Dak Prescott behind you.
Then there’s Tomlinson, the most experienced of the bunch. He was once a borderline Pro Bowler early in his career with San Francisco, though playing next to Trent Williams may have helped. The problem is that his level has dropped off in recent years, and Dallas would rather not find out how much is left.
That’s the real value of Bass. He lets the Cowboys avoid all that uncertainty and plug in a player who has already shown he can handle this offense.
The second-round restricted free agency tender costs more than Jerry and Stephen Jones probably wanted to spend on a backup, but the price is a fully guaranteed $5.76 million salary. That makes the 27-year-old the ninth-highest cap hit on the team for the 2026 season.
For now, the Cowboys have a clean answer at a messy position. Bass was worth keeping, and the season hasn’t even kicked off yet.
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Cowboys May Have Found A Scary New Way To Use George Pickens
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