T.J. Bass may need to be the backup center to make Cowboys roster
It is going to be interesting to see how the Cowboys implement T.J. Bass into things.
The Cowboys have been very good at unearthing quality players from the ranks of undrafted free agents, and guard T.J. Bass looked like another good find last year. But if he’s going to get back on the roster in 2024, he may need to show he can be Dallas’ backup center to avoid getting squeezed out at final cuts.
A college tackle, Bass’ body type and below-average arm length made him transition to interior line in the NFL. So far, that switch has gone quite well. Bass did enough in last year’s camp and preseason to earn a backup role at guard, dressing for all 17 games as a rookie and starting twice.
In fact, Bass’ showed well enough in 2023 that there was a degree of comfort with the idea of him starting this season. Before the 2024 draft, once Tyron Smith left for the New York Jets in free agency, there was a thought that Dallas could slide Tyler Smith from left guard to left tackle and that Bass would at least be the front-runner for the LG job, if not the obvious choice.
But after the first round, Tyler Guyton arrived as the handpicked new starter at left tackle. With Smith and Zack Martin an All-Pro pair of guards, Bass’s only shot at starting would be a competition with Brock Hoffman to replace Tyler Biadasz at center. But that opportunity appears quashed by third-round pick Cooper Beebe, who has already been confirmed to be working at center this summer.
After the dust settled from the draft, the Cowboys now had Guyton. Beebe, and seventh-rounder Nathan Thomas in the stable. Thomas is a guard-tackle prospect who had a fourth-round grade from some sources, and should certainly not be dismissed going forward. Considering how undrafted guys like Bass and Hoffman have fared, Thomas can be competitive this summer.
The Cowboys now have a slew of backup options with guard-tackle versatility. Thomas joins last year’s fifth-rounder, Asim Richards, veteran Chuma Edoga, and fourth-year prospect Josh Ball in that mix. There’s also Matt Waletzko, more of a tackle-only option, who will be trying to finally make an impact after two injury-riddled years.
So how do they affect Bass? Well, the Cowboys have more question marks at tackle than guard. Guyton will obviously be a rookie and is moving from right to left tackle in the pros, which could have early growing pains if not season-long. Terence Steele is back and hopefully better another year removed from his ACL injury, but we just finished watching how one injury wrecked WR Michael Gallup.
So given those x-factors, what if Dallas wants to load up on guys who might be able to play tackle? That’s good news for the likes of Edoga, Richards, and Thomas, but bad for Bass and Hoffman. It could very well leave the two of them in a battle for one roster spot, and that decision could come down to who the team trusts most if they need one of them to play center.
If Dallas hadn’t landed Beebe or another center prospect in the draft, Hoffman was seen as the default option and with some similar intrigue and excitement as there was for Bass to start at left guard. While Bass did get practice reps at center last year, it was Hoffman who played it in real games. That would seem to give him an edge going forward.
Versatility goes both ways, though, so Hoffman also has to prove something at guard. But center is the bigger issue; it’s the more technical position and touches the ball on every play. And with lots of other prospects who could play guard, the Cowboys should lean on center play in a potential choice between Bass and Hoffman.
It’s entirely possible, if not probable, that both Bass and Hoffman make the roster as interior backups. And if Beebe doesn’t take to the center position as quickly as we think, who knows if there’s an even bigger competition brewing. But the point here for Bass is that center play could be much more important to his future in Dallas than his start. It was enough for him to be a quality backup at guard last year, but the influx of offensive line talent from the draft may force him to add a new trick to his bag.
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