GS. COWBOYS O-LINE HIT: Veteran Starter Snatched by Rising AFC Power – Dallas’ Offensive Foundation Just Shook.
For the Cowboys, the Week 10 bye was obviously draining emotionally, starting with the high of a wild trade deadline in which star lineman Quinnen Williams was added, along with linebacker Logan Wilson, followed by the tragedy of Marshawn Kneeland’s suicide. A weekend off was much-needed, but the Cowboys are coming back here in Week 11, ready to get back to work.
And they’re also getting back to the fluctuations of the transaction wire. On Tuesday, the team saw one of its depth pieces–veteran offensive lineman Geron Christian–plucked from the practice squad by the Broncos.
The move was announced on Twitter/X by Christian agency, Elite Loyalty Sports: “Congratulations to our very own Geron Christian (@geron_christian) on signing a contract with the Denver #Broncos! Welcome to the Mile High City, GC.”
Christian was a former third-round pick of Washington back in 2018, and has played 63 games with 25 starts. He played for the Rams and Browns last season, and signed with the Cowboys to start training camp. He did not make the 53-man roster out of camp, but signed with the practice squad.
Offensive Line Having Some Struggles
The Cowboys did not have to use Christian this year because the offensive line, despite some minor injuries, has held up well, health-wise–at least until last Monday’s loss to the Cardinals, in which Dallas gave up a whopping five sacks on quarterback Dak Prescott.
Tyler Booker missed three games with an injury this year, and Cooper Beebe missed six, but both have very good backups in TJ Bass and Brock Hoffman. They’re the only backups on the line who have played more than 100 snaps.
Still, the unit as a whole has underperformed, ranking just 20th on Pro Football Focus’ most recent list. Wrote the site: “Dallas’ offensive line allowed 14 pressures, including four sacks, on 48 passing attempts against the Cardinals. The unit’s 81.2 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating ranked 21st in the league.”
Cowboys Ready for Second-Half Push
The question for Dallas now is whether the team can pull itself together and make a run through the second half now that it appears the defense has been shored up. The Cowboys are 3-5-1 and need a win over the Raiders on Monday night to prep them for the coming gauntlet.
After the Raiders, the Cowboys get the Eagles, Chiefs and Lions, three straight Super Bowl contenders. Still, VP Stephen Jones has hope.
“We certainly are always optimistic about our football team and feel good about the players on our team and feel like we’ve helped our team not only for this year, but for the future with Quinnen Williams,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas this week.
“We just feel like, with our offense playing [how it] has played for most of the year and, if we continue to improve and getting these [defensive] guys back can help us the way we think it can, then we do think we could go on a run.”
