Photo Credit: Dallas Cowboys
FRISCO, TEXAS — Cowboys’ rookie Tyler Biadasz may not have been the starting center in the lineup against the Browns in week four, but he may as well have been. Joe Looney went down on the opening play of the game with a knee injury and in came the Wisconsin product.
“ Obviously, I’m not getting introduced the last two games out of the tunnel, but my preparation is damn near like a starter, “ Biadasz told Dallas media. “The position I was in the last two games and have to prepare for that; So, I’ve been ready for everything.”
The Cowboys traded up with the divisional rival Eagles in April to receive a second selection in the fourth round to grab Biadasz with the 146th selection. The center spot was vacated after five-time Pro Bowl veteran Travis Frederick retired and Biadasz added depth and competition. He was a three-year starting center for the Badgers offensive line and following his junior season, Biadasz was named a first-team All-American and won the Rimington Award that honors the nation’s best center. He skipped his senior year to declare for the NFL Draft.
Fast word to now and Biadasz is following in the footsteps of the man he molded his game after, another Wisconsin alum, Travis Frederick. With his prior familiarity with Dallas’ offensive line having studied Frederick’s game along with the advice/encouragement of future hall of fame right guard Zack Martin, Biadasz has made a smooth transition.
He is making his first official start at center against the Giants on Sunday but he has already logged playing time in the offensive line through the past two weeks. In addition to his 81 snaps against Cleveland, in week three, injuries resulted in an O-Line shuffle that granted Biadasz his first snaps at center, where he played 63 percent (52 snaps) of the offensive snaps.
From week-to-week, Biadasz has prepared to be the starter. During the week of preparation, he hones in on the mental aspect of the game in the same way he does the physical. The effort he puts into film study has translated to the field and following the Browns game, Zack Martin openly told media the rookie did not make any mental mistakes.
When asked about Martin’s comments, Biadasz told D210SPORTS, “ I know it’s simple, but you have to know your playbook and you have to put yourself in a position and be- you got to be imaginary and have visualization of what concepts could come up and have adjustments ready to go. And I think for myself, I do a great job of preparing for that and when we were out on the field verses the Browns, it was very simple like that. “
He has taken over the full responsibility of center and is calling plays.
“ I guess exceptionally I make all the calls to the O-Line and there’s adjustments based off that with Dak.”
Being in sync with Prescott is of the utmost importance and Biadasz is confident in where he is at with the quarterback stating, “we’re on the same page.”
The role is his and how long he attains the position and what he does with the opportunity is entirely up to him.
In college, he did a great job of gaining leverage on defenders and sealing them off from the ball carrier to create open lanes for rushers. At Wisconsin, he paved the way for one of college football’s most prolific runners, Jonathan Taylor. Taylor accumulated 6,174 rushing yards, 50 touchdowns, and averaged 6.7 yards per carry from 2017-2019 with Biadasz anchoring the line. The Cowboys have struggled to get the run game going with Ezekiel Elliott, largely due to the fact that Dallas’ offense has had to come from behind and pass the ball to catch up. They need to start out fast in order to create a balanced attack and Biadasz could be the key.
