The Dallas Cowboys have locked up an important starter. That would be right tackle Terence Steele. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Twitter, they’ve signed Steele to a five-year, $86.8 million extension:
Terence Steele originally was an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech. He has played in the NFL for three seasons, and is coming off an ACL injury that ended his 2022 season, but the Cowboys clearly believe in his recovery, talent and upside. https://t.co/RtGMi9QPRA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 3, 2023
Over his three NFL seasons so far, Steele has appeared in 45 games, starting 40. He’s mostly started at right tackle, but also started at left tackle at times in 2021. He also caught his only NFL career reception to date that year, a one-yard touchdown pass against Washington:
The extension for the 26-year-old Steele means he won’t hit free agency after this season. However, the Cowboys still are facing a variety of cap crunch issues. Quarterback Dak Prescott’s contract carries a $59.455 million cap charge for 2024, and the team is expected to sign star linebacker Micah Parsons to a record-setting contract after this season. And they also reworked a contract for All-Pro guard Zack Martin in August following a contract dispute.
This is great news for Steele, though, especially with him coming off that torn ACL last season. He’s had an impressive run to date in the NFL, especially for an undrafted free agent. He appeared in all 16 games in his first season in 2020, starting 14, and he’s been a consistent presence on the Dallas offensive line since. And now he looks to be so for some time to come.
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.