By Rainer Sabin / Reporter
rsabin@dallasnews.com | Bio
8:10 PM on Tue., Feb. 7, 2012 | Permalink
This is the fifth part of a series examining how the Cowboys have addressed each position group via the draft.
Before Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made an unprecedented move last April, he first had to take a significant leap of faith. As he and his advisors inside Valley Ranch contemplated whether to select tackle Tyron Smith with the ninth overall pick of the 2011 draft, history could have easily colored their convictions and swayed them to pursue a player who would fill a completely different role.
After all, the Cowboys had never taken an offensive lineman in the first round since Jones had owned the club. That trend seemed to be as much a byproduct of Jones' unwillingness to invest the team's highest picks in players at positions that lacked pizzazz as much as the fact that the Cowboys had a rather unimpressive track record when choosing guards, tackles and centers in the second and third rounds.
Jones didn't need to be reminded that since 2000 Jacob Rogers, James Marten, Al Johnson and Robert Brewster all bombed after being among the first 90 prospects in their respective draft classes to be chosen.
The failed tenures of those players loomed over the organization like black clouds as the Cowboys were forced to cobble together an offensive line from a variety of sources because they were unable to successfully develop the guys they plucked from the college ranks. In 2010, three-fifths of the Cowboys' aging front had begun their careers with different organizations.
Sensing that the team's potential for success would be dramatically reduced if the status quo was maintained, Jason Garrett, in his first major act as coach, began to refurbish a line that had begun to deteriorate. The Cowboys drafted Smith and two other linemen - guards David Arkin and Bill Nagy in the fourth and seventh rounds, respectively.
They then bid adieu to tackle Marc Colombo, guard Leonard Davis and center Andre Gurode, shedding their hefty salaries as Dallas sought younger, more athletic replacements to protect quarterback Tony Romo and block for the team's stable of running backs.
The transition process wasn't an easy one. After the Cowboys installed Phil Costa at Gurode's old position, the second-year player, who joined the team as in 2010 as a rookie free agent, delivered several botched snaps against Washington and struggled to hold blocks against defensive tackles attempting to bull rush him. Guard Kyle Kosier, dealing with a lingering foot injury, wasn't much better after he flipped from the left to the right side. And left tackle Doug Free, a 2007 fourth-round pick, was thoroughly disappointing after he signed a four-year, $32 million contract last summer.
Yet Smith exceeded expectations - so much so that it seems probable at this point that he will switch positions with Free. According to ProFootballFocus.com, Smith was rated as the fourth-best tackle in the NFL last season among players who were on the field for 25 percent of their teams' offensive snaps. He was sturdy and reliable, yielding only 9.5 sacks and committing seven penalties.
But while Smith represents a promising future for the Cowboys, the line remains a work in progress. The left guard position lacked continuity after both Nagy and Montrae Holland suffered season-ending injuries. Arkin, who was inactive for all 16 games, was never considered as a replacement - leaving some to wonder about his status with the team.
If Arkin's career dissolves before it ever gets started, it wouldn't be the first time the Cowboys have experienced such a bitter turn of events with a lineman they rated highly. Rogers, a 2004 second-round pick, never played an offensive snap and was released 16 months after he was taken. Brewster, a 2009 third-round selection, appeared in one game during his tenure with the Cowboys.
Marten, who was snatched up one round before Free was picked in 2007, was cut before he ever saw the field. And Peterman, a third-round pick, suffered a season-ending knee injury before his rookie campaign, played in three games and then was cut in before his third season.
From 2000 until 2010, in fact, only four of the 15 offensive linemen the Cowboys drafted would end up recording more than 20 starts by the time their stints in Dallas had ended.
That's a pretty alarming statistic. But it's one the Cowboys hope remains tied to a dark period they believe they've left behind after rewriting history last year.
Cowboys offensive linemen drafted in the first three rounds since 2000
Yr. Drafted; Name; Rd.; Pos.; Comment
2011; Tyron Smith; 1; Tackle; Has shown remarkable promise and appears to be a cornerstone for line.
2009; Robert Brewster; 3; Tackle; He appeared in one game before being released by the Cowboys before training camp last July
2007; James Marten; 3; Tackle; He appeared in one game during his NFL career and was cut by the Cowboys in September 2008.
2004; Jacob Rogers; 2; Tackle; Sixteen months after he was drafted, he was released by the Cowboys, having never played one offensive snap.
2004; Stephen Peterman; 3; Guard; Played in three games with the Cowboys before his tenure in Dallas ended in 2006 but has started 33 games for Detroit the last two seasons.
2003; Al Johnson; 2; Center; Missed his rookie season with knee injury, then started 31 consecutive games. Lost his job to Gurode and was gone after 2006.
2002; Andre Gurode; 2; Guard/Center; Once considered a disappointment, Gurode moved to center in 2005 and made five Pro Bowls before being released last summer.
rsabin@dallasnews.com | Bio
8:10 PM on Tue., Feb. 7, 2012 | Permalink
This is the fifth part of a series examining how the Cowboys have addressed each position group via the draft.
Before Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made an unprecedented move last April, he first had to take a significant leap of faith. As he and his advisors inside Valley Ranch contemplated whether to select tackle Tyron Smith with the ninth overall pick of the 2011 draft, history could have easily colored their convictions and swayed them to pursue a player who would fill a completely different role.
After all, the Cowboys had never taken an offensive lineman in the first round since Jones had owned the club. That trend seemed to be as much a byproduct of Jones' unwillingness to invest the team's highest picks in players at positions that lacked pizzazz as much as the fact that the Cowboys had a rather unimpressive track record when choosing guards, tackles and centers in the second and third rounds.
Jones didn't need to be reminded that since 2000 Jacob Rogers, James Marten, Al Johnson and Robert Brewster all bombed after being among the first 90 prospects in their respective draft classes to be chosen.
The failed tenures of those players loomed over the organization like black clouds as the Cowboys were forced to cobble together an offensive line from a variety of sources because they were unable to successfully develop the guys they plucked from the college ranks. In 2010, three-fifths of the Cowboys' aging front had begun their careers with different organizations.
Sensing that the team's potential for success would be dramatically reduced if the status quo was maintained, Jason Garrett, in his first major act as coach, began to refurbish a line that had begun to deteriorate. The Cowboys drafted Smith and two other linemen - guards David Arkin and Bill Nagy in the fourth and seventh rounds, respectively.
They then bid adieu to tackle Marc Colombo, guard Leonard Davis and center Andre Gurode, shedding their hefty salaries as Dallas sought younger, more athletic replacements to protect quarterback Tony Romo and block for the team's stable of running backs.
The transition process wasn't an easy one. After the Cowboys installed Phil Costa at Gurode's old position, the second-year player, who joined the team as in 2010 as a rookie free agent, delivered several botched snaps against Washington and struggled to hold blocks against defensive tackles attempting to bull rush him. Guard Kyle Kosier, dealing with a lingering foot injury, wasn't much better after he flipped from the left to the right side. And left tackle Doug Free, a 2007 fourth-round pick, was thoroughly disappointing after he signed a four-year, $32 million contract last summer.
Yet Smith exceeded expectations - so much so that it seems probable at this point that he will switch positions with Free. According to ProFootballFocus.com, Smith was rated as the fourth-best tackle in the NFL last season among players who were on the field for 25 percent of their teams' offensive snaps. He was sturdy and reliable, yielding only 9.5 sacks and committing seven penalties.
But while Smith represents a promising future for the Cowboys, the line remains a work in progress. The left guard position lacked continuity after both Nagy and Montrae Holland suffered season-ending injuries. Arkin, who was inactive for all 16 games, was never considered as a replacement - leaving some to wonder about his status with the team.
If Arkin's career dissolves before it ever gets started, it wouldn't be the first time the Cowboys have experienced such a bitter turn of events with a lineman they rated highly. Rogers, a 2004 second-round pick, never played an offensive snap and was released 16 months after he was taken. Brewster, a 2009 third-round selection, appeared in one game during his tenure with the Cowboys.
Marten, who was snatched up one round before Free was picked in 2007, was cut before he ever saw the field. And Peterman, a third-round pick, suffered a season-ending knee injury before his rookie campaign, played in three games and then was cut in before his third season.
From 2000 until 2010, in fact, only four of the 15 offensive linemen the Cowboys drafted would end up recording more than 20 starts by the time their stints in Dallas had ended.
That's a pretty alarming statistic. But it's one the Cowboys hope remains tied to a dark period they believe they've left behind after rewriting history last year.
Cowboys offensive linemen drafted in the first three rounds since 2000
Yr. Drafted; Name; Rd.; Pos.; Comment
2011; Tyron Smith; 1; Tackle; Has shown remarkable promise and appears to be a cornerstone for line.
2009; Robert Brewster; 3; Tackle; He appeared in one game before being released by the Cowboys before training camp last July
2007; James Marten; 3; Tackle; He appeared in one game during his NFL career and was cut by the Cowboys in September 2008.
2004; Jacob Rogers; 2; Tackle; Sixteen months after he was drafted, he was released by the Cowboys, having never played one offensive snap.
2004; Stephen Peterman; 3; Guard; Played in three games with the Cowboys before his tenure in Dallas ended in 2006 but has started 33 games for Detroit the last two seasons.
2003; Al Johnson; 2; Center; Missed his rookie season with knee injury, then started 31 consecutive games. Lost his job to Gurode and was gone after 2006.
2002; Andre Gurode; 2; Guard/Center; Once considered a disappointment, Gurode moved to center in 2005 and made five Pro Bowls before being released last summer.