Ex-cowboys starter signed by lions ahead of NFC Championship

Ex-cowboys starter signed by lions ahead of NFC Championship

Given the Dallas Cowboys’ struggles to maintain their offensive line intact over the last year,

perhaps they should have retained experienced center and guard Matt Farniok when the team released him on the NFL’s 53-man cutdown day in August. Farniok, on the other hand,

has a shot for vengeance because he has been given the opportunity to

participate in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas in two weeks.

He was re-signed by the Detroit Lions this week, albeit to the practice squad.

Farniok was a seventh-round selection pick by the Cowboys out of Nebraska in 2021,

and he showed some potential, playing special teams and spot duty on the offensive line.

He played twelve games as a  rookie, getting 72 special-teams snaps, and played seven games in his second season,

even earning two starts at guard, and playing all three interior spots on the line during the season.

                  Ex-cowboys starter signed by lions ahead of NFC Championship

He was part of a complete committee approach to determining how the second-string lineman would fare,

dating back to OTAs in May.

Back then, Farniok stated that his goal was to “just keep doing my job better than I did yesterday.”

Learn from my mistakes, don’t do them again,

and keep striving to be a better football player than I was before.”

Matt Farniok lost against TJ Bass.

Unfortunately for Farniok, he struggled with pass protection throughout the preseason,

and the Cowboys stunned many by going with rookie T.J. Bass from Oregon.

Because of line injuries, Bass ended up playing a key role, taking 137 plays at left guard and 204 at right guard.

Bass  wound up playing a significant role, logging 137 snaps at left guard and 204 at right guard.

Bass started twice, first in the Week 3 loss to Arizona and then again in the Week 18 win over the Commanders.

His season rankings at Pro Football Focus were not great—54.1 overall, 54.9 in pass blocking,

and 54.2 in run blocking—but they were better than Farniok’s marks during his time in the rotation last year.

Farniok received an overall grade of 39.1, scoring 41.7 in run blocking and 31.4 in pass blocking.

He conceded seven hurries and 13 pressures in three weeks, and his playing time decreased after that.

Farniok was first signed by the Bears after being released in September,

and he spent two months on their practice squad before being signed by the Lions in December,

who released him shortly before the start of the playoffs.

However, he is back on the practice squad as an emergency option in Detroit.

Cowboys Offensive Line Is Uncertain

Of course, the offensive line is not a high-profile position for the Cowboys,

and what happens on the offensive line will not make

the same headlines as contract decisions for Dak Prescott, Tony Pollard, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons.

However, it is a unit that ended the season in need of some future direction.

Four offensive linemen missed at least one game this season,

topped by tackle Tyron Smith with four. Smith, a 33-year-old free agent,

is about to be replaced on the line, and his injuries would make it an easy decision,

except that he is still one of the finest players in the game when healthy.

Tyler Biadasz, a center who has been with the Cowboys for four seasons and just had his greatest year,

is also a free agency.

The Cowboys have committed more than $80 million to Terrence Steele,

who struggled in his return from ACL surgery,

while backups Josh Ball (who missed the season with a hip injury)

and Chuma Udoga will also be available in free agency.

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