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By Saad Yousuf May 16, 2019
After the first practice at rookie minicamp last weekend, Mitch Hyatt and Connor McGovern stood a few feet away from each other, talking to two of the larger media groups in the locker room.
If all goes according to plan, neither will have much of a say in how the 2019 campaign plays out. Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and La’el Collins return as the no-doubters, last year’s second-round pick Connor Williams has bulked up to plug in as the left guard, and, by all accounts, Travis Frederick appears healthy and ready to anchor the offensive line at center. (Obviously, he’s a no-doubter when healthy but given the nature of Guillain-Barré syndrome, let’s be patient and wait for contact action). Joe Looney is the top interior backup and Cameron Fleming the swing tackle.
In a perfect world, one in which each player stays healthy and plays up to their potential, McGovern and Hyatt basically redshirt and only come on in spot duty. Even if that’s the case, though, they could be part of the Cowboys’ future. Recent history shows that a succession plan has been key for teams to consistently throw out formidable, if not elite offensive lines.
And of the seven currently players in the mix, three could be gone at the end of the season. Collins is the popular name expected to walk but in reality, Looney could also be looking to cash in on his great 2018 season filling in for Frederick. The Cowboys hold a $4.5 million team option on Fleming for 2020, but that number is high enough that it’s hard to imagine Dallas picking it up with a number of other players in line for big paydays.
Should none of those three return in 2020, the Cowboys could very well put out a starting lineup of Smith, McGovern, Frederick, Martin and Williams from left to right. That’s the likely move if the team is trying to get the best five players on the field, with Hyatt replacing Fleming in the swing tackle role. Williams is the wild card; if he flourishes at left guard, his play and his added bulk could make him less appealing to switch back to the outside. That could leave a void at right tackle, thus making McGovern the inside utility guy if Williams, Frederick and Martin continue to make up the starting interior.
McGovern and Hyatt have different expectations heading into this summer. McGovern is the team’s second draft pick, selected in the third round after the Cowboys had a second-round grade on him. He’s a lock to make the roster. Hyatt signed as an undrafted free agent, which theoretically means he’ll be battling for a spot on the team. The Cowboys had a draftable grade on him, however, and put their money where their mouth was by guaranteeing him $130,000 in salary — more than some late-round draft picks usually get — on top of a $20,000 signing bonus.
The Cowboys’ interest in Hyatt was unsurprising — he was a four-year starter at Clemson who won two national championships and was a unanimous All-American in 2018. But his decision to sign with the Cowboys was a bit more surprising. There were teams interested in him, like the Houston Texans, where he could have immediately competed for a starting job. But he decided against that and instead locked himself in a fiercely competitive situation.
“I can’t wait for the veterans to come in and be able to just follow them, learn from them and just kind of absorb anything I can from them,” Hyatt said. “I’m excited about it.”
Hyatt is definitively a tackle, one who can play on either side of the line. That may seem unimportant given Smith’s presence at left tackle, but it’s important to remember how the entire unit basically fell apart in the Falcons game in 2017 after Smith was forced to sit out due to injury. It’s a steep drop-off from Smith to anyone else on the roster, but Hyatt gives them one more option who could possibly feign competence if called upon. That would be well worth paying above market rate for an undrafted free agent.
McGovern, despite how highly the Cowboys regard him, comes with a more ambiguous role. If Williams struggles at left guard, the answer is easy. If he succeeds, then he joins Williams, Frederick and Martin as the nucleus of the team’s interior for years to come. My colleague Bob Sturm did a fantastic job breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of McGovern, projecting his future as perhaps the best player the Cowboys selected in the 2019 draft. He’s also a snug fit for a team with a run-to-set-up-the-pass identity.
“I’d say it’s a 50-50 split between run-blocking and pass protection, but I love putting a guy on his back, so I’d say it leans towards run-blocking,” McGovern said what he enjoys most on the field.
The Cowboys currently appear to have an offensive line surplus, but it’s tenuous. Frederick is coming back from a career-threatening illness, Smith has an injury history and three of the top seven are likely out the door next offseason. The Cowboys have always done a good job bracing for significant losses along the offensive line, from incorporating role players like Looney and Fleming to starters such as Doug Free, Ron Leary and Collins, himself a former undrafted free agent. Now, McGovern and Hyatt represent the next wave of present depth that Dallas hopes to develop into valuable future cornerstones.
