The Cowboys have completed their OTAs and minicamp practices. The offseason is history. Training camp in Oxnard is up next in late July.
The staff writers at DallasCowboys.com – Rob Phillips, David Helman, Nick Eatman and Bryan Broaddus – are attempting to answer 20 pressing questions as the team gets ready for camp and the 2016 season.
Today, our staff continues the series by examining the swing tackle position and find out who will back up both tackle spots.
No. 16 – How Will Become the Cowboys' Swing Tackle?
Bryan Broaddus: If you would have asked me at the start of OTAs, I would have said that neither Chaz Green or Charles Brown would have been that guy. There were snaps during the practices where both looked overmatched and not impressive. If I have to give Green or Brown the nod for the sake of this question, my money is going to be on Green. He is the younger of the two with the most potential upside going forward. Brown is what he is talent wise so that has me concerned. Green does need to show me more when the pads come on and his balance does need to improve. Green is going to get plenty of opportunities to win this job from Brown but if he doesn't, I am already having thoughts of what this front office did in by 2010 taking Jermey Parnell off the Saints practice squad and making him the swing tackle. They will not let this position hold them hostage if neither Green or Brown preforms well.
Rob Phillips: This should be one of the more notable position battles in camp. Charles Brown's experience is a plus – he has started 22 games since entering the league since 2010. But the Cowboys drafted Chaz Green for this role last year before he missed most of his rookie season following hip surgery. It's worth noting Green also has guard experience, but the hope has to be that their 2015 third-round pick can take a step forward and win the job behind Doug Free and Tyron Smith. Not only is Brown a worthy candidate to remain the swing tackle, he's a veteran who can help protect the quarterbacks in preseason and give the coaches a better evaluation of the offense.
David Helman:Ideally, I think the Cowboys would love to give the swing tackle job to Chaz Green, ultimately freeing them up to release Charles Brown. I'm not willing to predict that, however, when you consider just how little we've seen from Green to this point. The Florida product lost his rookie season to a hip injury that kept him on the PUP for most of the year. Having fully recovered, he went through the full offseason program, but he didn't have much of an opportunity to stand out. Brown is a six-year veteran, and he hasn't live up to his second-round draft grade – the jumbo and goal line packages were underwhelming at best last year. But the coaching staff still trusts him to step in and get the job done. Ultimately, I think Green will need another year of seasoning before he can step into the type of role the front office envisions for him. If he earns the job as the No. 3 tackle on this roster, I'm willing to admit I'd be surprised.[embeddedad0]
Nick Eatman: I'm going to say the Cowboys' swing tackle is not on the roster right now. Yes, Chaz Green would be the ideal choice but I have a hard time thinking he'll do enough in training camp to convince the staff he's ready to back up two positions. Charles Brown sounds like a logical choice, but something tells me, when camp is over, the Cowboys will decide to go with someone a little younger, cheaper and perhaps better than Brown. We're talking about a backup spot anyway so being ready to come right in and learn the terminology isn't as necessary as other positions. That's why I could see the Cowboys wanting to find someone else to play swing tackle as they wait for Green to develop.
