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O-Line: Pro Bowl In La’el Collins’ Future?
What We Know
Travis Frederick's retirement is a major loss, just like 2018 when he spent a year on the sidelines battling GBS. But this is still a veteran group with as much experience and talent as any line in the league.
Last year, right guard Zack Martin made his sixth Pro Bowl/All-Pro team in six NFL seasons despite missing most of training camp with a back injury. Left tackle Tyron Smith has dealt with his share of injuries, too, but he reached his seventh career Pro Bowl last year, breaking Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright's franchise record for the most Pro Bowls by a Cowboys offensive tackle.
La'el Collins is also back for his third season as the starting right tackle, and he's comfortable playing on the edge again, just as he did in college. After getting a five-year, $50 million contract extension last September, Collins delivered his best season since joining the Cowboys in 2015. The club believes he's a Pro Bowl caliber player alongside Smith and Martin.
The center spot will be up for grabs in training camp, and maybe left guard, too. But the line's foundation is still clear.
What's New
Travis Frederick has apparently shaved his beard, but that's not the biggest change for the five-time Pro Bowl center.
Frederick is retiring after seven seasons with the Cowboys, including a successful, Pro Bowl return from Guillain-Barre syndrome in 2019. He decided it was time for the "next chapter of life" after a self-described "difficult" year trying to reach his high standard of play. The Cowboys have placed him on the Reserve/Retired list and will spread out his $11 million salary cap hit over two years.
Who replaces Frederick? That remains to be seen. The Cowboys have been in this situation before when Frederick spent the 2018 season recovering from GBS. Among the candidates this time around: fourth-round draft pick Tyler Biadasz, also a former Wisconsin standout, and veteran Joe Looney, who filled in for Frederick in 2018.
In 2018, the club also made an in-season switch at offensive line coach, promoting former starting right tackle Marc Colombo to replace Paul Alexander. But with head coach Mike McCarthy now in charge, the Cowboys have hired one of McCarthy's long-time assistants, Joe Philbin, to oversee the position.
Philbin is one of four new assistants with previous NFL head coaching experience. He has coached the offensive line in Indianapolis and most recently Green Bay, where he worked on McCarthy's staff for seven years.
My other question besides the obvious.
Is I think Marc Colombo was a good Line coach. Now that, that has changed with the regime. Will Joe Philbin be as good, better or worse of a coach for the Line? Another question mark for this O-line.
What We Know
Travis Frederick's retirement is a major loss, just like 2018 when he spent a year on the sidelines battling GBS. But this is still a veteran group with as much experience and talent as any line in the league.
Last year, right guard Zack Martin made his sixth Pro Bowl/All-Pro team in six NFL seasons despite missing most of training camp with a back injury. Left tackle Tyron Smith has dealt with his share of injuries, too, but he reached his seventh career Pro Bowl last year, breaking Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright's franchise record for the most Pro Bowls by a Cowboys offensive tackle.
La'el Collins is also back for his third season as the starting right tackle, and he's comfortable playing on the edge again, just as he did in college. After getting a five-year, $50 million contract extension last September, Collins delivered his best season since joining the Cowboys in 2015. The club believes he's a Pro Bowl caliber player alongside Smith and Martin.
The center spot will be up for grabs in training camp, and maybe left guard, too. But the line's foundation is still clear.
What's New
Travis Frederick has apparently shaved his beard, but that's not the biggest change for the five-time Pro Bowl center.
Frederick is retiring after seven seasons with the Cowboys, including a successful, Pro Bowl return from Guillain-Barre syndrome in 2019. He decided it was time for the "next chapter of life" after a self-described "difficult" year trying to reach his high standard of play. The Cowboys have placed him on the Reserve/Retired list and will spread out his $11 million salary cap hit over two years.
Who replaces Frederick? That remains to be seen. The Cowboys have been in this situation before when Frederick spent the 2018 season recovering from GBS. Among the candidates this time around: fourth-round draft pick Tyler Biadasz, also a former Wisconsin standout, and veteran Joe Looney, who filled in for Frederick in 2018.
In 2018, the club also made an in-season switch at offensive line coach, promoting former starting right tackle Marc Colombo to replace Paul Alexander. But with head coach Mike McCarthy now in charge, the Cowboys have hired one of McCarthy's long-time assistants, Joe Philbin, to oversee the position.
Philbin is one of four new assistants with previous NFL head coaching experience. He has coached the offensive line in Indianapolis and most recently Green Bay, where he worked on McCarthy's staff for seven years.
My other question besides the obvious.
Is I think Marc Colombo was a good Line coach. Now that, that has changed with the regime. Will Joe Philbin be as good, better or worse of a coach for the Line? Another question mark for this O-line.
