Perhaps it was the failed selection of Florida's Chaz Green that derailed things. With Doug Free missing five games in 2014, the club drafted Green in the third round of 2015 to prepare to take over at right tackle opposite perennial Pro Bowler Tyron Smith.

Smith missed games for the first time in his then six-year career that season, never playing a full compliment again. Green of course was historically bad, and the team avoided spending Day 1 or Day 2 draft pedigree on the position all the way until 2022, when they selected Tyler Smith in the first round; and he has been moved inside to guard. Among the darts thrown at the position prior to 2024's selection of Tyler Guyton has been UDFA Terence Steele (2020), fourth-round pick Josh Ball (2021) and fifth-round pick Matt Waletzko in 2022.

Waleltzo has now reached the final year of his rookie deal, and although the team is as bad off at the position as they've ever been, he's probably a long shot to emerge from this summer's training camp still on the Dallas roster.

Rundown

Cowboys RT Matt Waletzko

Position: Offensive Tackle

Age: 25

Height: 6-foot-8

Weight: 305 pounds

Hometown: Cold Springs, MN

High School: Rocori (MN)

Draft: 2022, Fifth-round pick (155th overall pick)

Acquired: 2022 Draft

Contract: Four-year deal (2022), $3.9 million

2025 Base Salary: $1.1 million

Profile

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 04: Matt Waletzko #OL55 of North Dakota runs a drill during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 04, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Waletzko's barely seen the field since joining Dallas in 2022. He was a young draft pick, and will be just 25-years old for the majority of the upcoming season. His lack of on-field experience plus age means the story doesn't have to be over for him despite seeing just 20 offensive snaps across 11 games played in three seasons. Shoulder injuries basically stole his rookie and sophomore seasons, but he wasn't able to crack the lineup in Year 3, either.

The new regime constructed by first-time head coach Brian Schottenheimer gives both renewed hope and a moment of caution for Waletzko's 2025 prospects. Schotty wasn't part of the brain trust that selected him, but Waletzko has been under the tutelage of the failed two-year run of Mike Solari; so perhaps Klayton Adams and Connor Riley's approach unlocks something in Waletzko that gives him a chance to stick as a reserve in 2025.

The Cowboys intend to roll out Guyton and Steele as their starting tackles, with Asim Richards the overwhelming favorite to be the backup left tackle. Waletzko will compete for a roster or practice squad role with redshirted second-year UDFA Nathan Thomas, as well as Dakoda Shepley and Hakeem Adeniji, both of whom have position flex.