Cowboys' Tyler Biadasz selected to PFF's All-Rookie Team

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The Dallas Cowboys had a rough 2020 season, to say the least. A lot of their struggles came from an injury-plagued offensive line. La’el Collins (hip) didn’t take one snap all season, Tyron Smith (neck) was lost for the year in October, and Zack Martin (calf) didn’t see the field in the Cowboy’s final five games.

Amid all the injury chaos on the offensive line, there was one bright spot, rookie center Tyler Biadasz. After veteran Joe Looney went down on the first play of the game against the Cleveland Browns with an MCL sprain in Week 4, Biadasz played 81 snaps. He followed that up with four consecutive starts and played well enough to be named to the mid-season All-Rookie Team for Pro Football Focus.

Unfortunately for the fourth-round pick, he suffered a hamstring injury during pre-game warm-ups before the Cowboys Week 9 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and only took one offensive snap the rest of the season (took 26 snaps on special teams). Nonetheless, Biadasz still did enough to make PFF’s All-Rookie Team for the 2020 season.

PFF's All-Rookie OL 💪 pic.twitter.com/uEUnab6XE6

— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 4, 2021

Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus on Biadasz’s rookie campaign.

“Only two rookie centers played more than 200 offensive snaps this season — Lloyd Cushenberry III at 1,076 and Biadasz at 427. Among 37 qualifying centers, Cushenberry’s 40.5 PFF grade ranked dead last. It’s hard to put a player with that kind of performance on the all-rookie team, which leaves Biadasz as the default selection.

“Granted, Biadasz didn’t dominate by any means, either. His PFF grade of 53.6 at center this season ranked 33rd among those same 37 qualifying centers, but he did edge out teammate Joe Looney (53.1) on a Dallas offensive line that was interchanging parts all season. The Cowboys will hope some stability brings better results in 2021.”

Biadasz only had significant snaps in six games but he held his own very well and looked like the heir apparent to retired center Travis Frederick. Like Frederick, Biadasz spent his college days at Wisconsin and looked to the former Cowboys All-Pro as a template for his success.

“I tried molding my game after him,” Biadasz said of Frederick last April, via CBS Sports. “One of the greats — an animal. Our body types are similar. … I’m looking forward to continuing what he did at Dallas.”

He’s definitely off to a good start, albeit in a limited sample size. Nonetheless, the center position looks to be in great hands for the foreseeable future with Biadasz.