Cowboys countdown to kickoff: #78 Terence Steele

We’re continuing our countdown to the opening game of the Dallas Cowboys 2023 regular season. Each day we’ll present a new player whose jersey number represents the countdown to opening day. Today is number 78.

OT Terence Steele
Born: 4th June 1997 (26) - San Antonio, Texas
College: Texas Tech Red Raiders
Draft: 2020, UDFA, Dallas Cowboys

2022 Stats:
Total Snaps: 818 (70%)
Pass Block Snaps: 439
Run Block Snaps: 379
Sacks Allowed: 1
Pressures Allowed: 20
Penalties: 6

College:
Initially Terence Steele started his freshman year at Texas Tech at left tackle before being moved to the right later in the year. That year he was named to the All-BIG 12 freshman team for helping Patrick Mahomes and the Red Raiders offense lead the nation in passing yards and total yards on offense. From then until his senior season, he stayed consistent and continued to help the offense each year stay in the Top 10 in passing yards. He played 37 consecutive games before getting injured in his senior season and would then later declare for the draft. During his four years at Texas Tech he played 2,421 pass blocking snaps and allowed nine sacks and 111 pressures.

Cowboys Review:
Steele had a little of an unorthodox path to getting into the starting lineup for Dallas. He came in thanks to necessity and with low expectations due to the fact he was undrafted. Once he started playing, though, he held his own quite well. After his first year playing he spent his next offseason at Duke Manyweather’s training program, and the results were encouraging. Steele quickly solidified himself as a genuine starter at right tackle for Dallas and when the team lost him due to injury the run game especially took a decline. The running backs took a big decline on average yards per carry after his departure and you can argue Steele is maybe now one of the best run-blockers on the Cowboys line. His progress from the injury is so far steady and on track, but how ready he will be for Week 1 is uncertain.

2023 Roster Projection:
This isn’t hard to figure out, he’s the Cowboys starting right tackle…right? There is some speculation about Steele playing the left guard position, which you can kind of get your head around if you think really hard about it. It’s all about personnel with Steele, and more specifically about where the coaches want both the Smith’s to play. Maybe even more important will be his health recovering from the ACL injury. There is no doubt how good Steele is at right tackle, and when both him and Zack Martin combo on run plays the effects are devastating to defensive attempts at run stopping. He will play the moment he’s healthy enough, so for now we just need to keep an eye on his progression, and another eye on the clock ticking to kickoff.

Projected 2023 Stats:
Total Snaps: 1,110
Pass Block Snaps: 590
Run Block Snaps: 520
Pressures: 27
Sacks: 2

The Big Question:
Will Steele be ready to start on the offensive line in Week 1? Post your answers in the comment section.