We often think about NFL training camps as a time when players come from the ranks of the unknown to claim important roles or even starting jobs on Sundays. However, one former Texas Tech football player, Terence Steele, is doing the opposite by coming close to losing a starting job that once looked guaranteed.
This year, the seven-year NFL veteran is struggling in training camp with the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, if Dallas had a better option at right tackle, he likely would have already lost his starting job.
The concerns began in full when Steele struggled mightily in a joint practice session between Dallas and the Los Angeles Rams on August 11. Even though the Rams held out their superstar defensive end, Myles Garrett, Steele was frequently beaten by Los Angeles' pass rushers to the point that he was one of the main negative talking points of those who observed the practice.
Then, on August 18, Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer called out Steele to the media in what appeared to be an attempt to get his starting right tackle's attention.
"T-Steele's gotta play a little bit more consistent," Schottenheimer said in a video shared on X by Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
"He has had a couple days where he's been a little bit dropping his pads and getting edged a little bit. He needs to be better."
Since the preseason opener, the Cowboys have moved around all five guys on the second-team offensive line.
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) August 19, 2026
Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer explains the thought process and says that starting RT Terence Steele needs to be more consistent. pic.twitter.com/SlfZF3lU6N
If there is a silver lining for Steele, it is that Dallas has dreadful depth at tackle. His backups have performed so poorly in preseason games that it appears Steele's starting job is safe, at least for now.
However, when NFL cuts are made on Saturday, the Cowboys could make a move to bring in someone to compete with Steele for the starting right tackle job. What's more, they may decide early in the season to sign a veteran free agent like 10-year pro Taylor Decker or Jonah Williams, the latter of whom played for Dallas' current offensive coordinator Clayton Adams when the two were in Arizona.
If Steele doesn't perform well to open the season (he's not played in any preseason games because Dallas typically doesn't play starters in the preseason), then he might find himself benched. Dallas is expected to have one of the NFL's best offenses, but questions about both tackles could derail that plan. Therefore, the Cowboys will likely be aggressive when it comes to solidifying what most feel is the offense's only true concern.
Steele has been a success story after leaving Texas Tech
Though he's probably never going to be a Pro Bowl player, Steele has had a solid NFL career, which surprised many after he was undrafted in 2020. Injuries in Dallas forced him to start 14 of the 16 games in his rookie season. That year, he equipped himself so well that he became the team's permanent right tackle after the season.
In all, he's started 91 of the 96 games he's appeared in for Dallas. What's more, he's earned over $50 million thus far in his career.
On the flip side, he hasn't been the same player since tearing two ligaments in his knee late in the 2022 season. Though he returned from that injury to play in every game in 2023, he has yet to show the type of form after the injury that he did before.
Steele is a strong run blocker. However, that's not a tackle's primary job. Unfortunately, when it comes to protecting the passer, he often struggles. In fact, by some metrics, he's one of the poorer pass blockers in the NFL.
That has been the case in training camp this year, and now, he's being closely monitored by his coaching staff to see if he is still worthy of a starting role. Hopefully, his struggles will be confined to August, and when the games count in September and beyond, he will pick it up and have the type of season that will quell the concerns about his play.
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