Cowboys countdown to kickoff: #75 Josh Ball

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 75.

OL Josh Ball
Born: 15th May 1998 (25) - Fredericksburg, Virginia
College: Marshall Thundering Herd
Draft: 2021, Round 4, Pick 138, Dallas Cowboys

2022 Stats:
Total Snaps: 113 (12%)
Pass Block Snaps: 17
Run Block Snaps: 25
Sacks: 1
Pressures: 2
Penalties: 0

College:
Josh Ball began his collegiate career for the Florida State Seminoles in 2017. He got the start by Week 5 at left tackle and remained the starting tackle for Florida State for the rest of the season. At the end of the season he was suspended by the team due to accusations of violence by girlfriend. He was never charged with any crime but opted to transfer from the Seminoles in May and played his 2018 season for Butler Community College. At the end of the season he left the Grizzlies and transferred to Marshall. His first year at Marshall he played more as a backup, but was key in his role that year. In 2020, during his senior season he played a reduced schedule due to the pandemic but he did start all eight games as the team’s starting left tackle. In his final game during the C-USA Championship game he was ejected from the game for getting flagged on two personal foul penalties. During his time playing for both Florida State and Marshall, he played a total of 1,519 snaps, 724 of those were pass blocking snaps. On those pass blocking snaps he allowed a total of three sacks and 39 pressures.

Cowboys Review:
The Cowboys selected Ball in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft and was hoping to make his way into a backup role for the team at tackle. His first season though was cut short when the team placed him injured reserve after an ankle injury he suffered in September. Late in the 2022 season he played right tackle for part of a game when Terence Steele was injured. The results were not good as he struggled, allowing one sack and two pressures against Houston. He spent the current offseason making headlines with Jerry Jones and coaches saying he could potentially play the questionable left guard position, but since then he’s stayed relatively quiet.

2023 Roster Projection:
By this stage of Ball’s career he should be making a push to be a key figure as a backup for this offensive line, and hopefully he flashes enough to prove he’s good enough for the job. Where he plays and how much he plays depends on much he proves himself during training camp and preseason, but the idea of him at guard seems a little unusual given who the Cowboys could have play the position other than Ball. For now he should, and will likely, land a place as a backup tackle for this season, and he should progress from there.

Projected 2023 Stats:
Total Snaps: 60
Pass Block Snaps: 22
Run Block Snaps: 38
Pressures: 5
Sacks: 0

The Big Question:
Does Josh Ball play make it as a depth player this year for Dallas? Leave your answers in the comments.