DECISION: Cowboys Let Brock Hoffman Go, Why TJ Bass Was CHOSEN Over Versatile Center

Summary

Locked On Cowboys – March 5, 2026

Episode: DECISION: Cowboys Let Brock Hoffman Go, Why TJ Bass Was CHOSEN Over Versatile Center

Main Theme

This episode focuses on the Dallas Cowboys' surprising decision not to tender interior lineman Brock Hoffman, the reasoning behind choosing TJ Bass instead, and the broader implications for the Cowboys’ offensive line and roster management. Hosts Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool break down the contract details, strategic fit, and how the moves impact future draft plans and roster flexibility.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cowboys Let Brock Hoffman Enter Free Agency

[01:22–05:49]

• Decision Recap: Cowboys opted not to place any tender on Brock Hoffman (undrafted center/guard), letting him walk into free agency.

  • Marcus Mosher points out they could have used an original round ($3.5M) or second round tender ($5.8M), but chose not to, effectively ending Hoffman's Cowboys run.
  • Landon McCool explains: “They didn't want to be left on the hook for paying $10.6 million for two backup, you know, interior offensive linemen.” ([01:53])
  • A trade/minor tender was discussed on a previous episode, but the team seems to have prioritized roster flexibility and financial prudence.

• Versatility vs. Fit:

  • Mosher: “Bass is the better player, Hoffman is the more versatile player. Teams will usually pay for the versatile guy that can play all three interior spots.” ([02:58])
  • Scheme fit likely influenced the decision, with new OL coach Clayton Adams preferring bigger body types.

• Doing Right by Hoffman:

  • Mosher speculates the Cowboys might be allowing Hoffman to maximize his market: “Rather than just trying to keep him on a one year, $3 million deal, they're letting him hit free agency where he can get a bigger contract and maybe the Cowboys can get a comp pick.” ([03:12])

• Well Wishes for Hoffman:

  • McCool: “Everybody that has a Cowboy star...would send nothing but well wishes to Brock Hoffman. We all loved him while he was here. I wanted to see him go make some money.” ([03:53])
  • Mosher: “I think he's going to have a pretty robust market. I think he can be a starting center in the NFL.” ([04:33])

• Market Context / Future:

  • “You're seeing these centers drop like flies out there...It’s an interesting market for him. I think he's going to have lots of opportunity and I really do hope he gets a big payday.” – Landon McCool ([05:15])

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2. Why TJ Bass Was Chosen Over Hoffman

[07:04–10:25]

• Tender Details: Cowboys are using the second-round tender to retain guard TJ Bass. He's technically a free agent but unlikely to leave.

• Bass vs. Hoffman Comparison:

  • McCool: “I think he's the better player at guard...I think TJ Bass currently is just a better player at guard. He's a little bit stronger. I think he moves folks a little bit more, especially in the run game.” ([08:52])
  • The staff views Hoffman as “probably a center only in this system” whereas Bass offers more immediate help at guard.
  • Discussion that Bass is more impactful in the run game, and may offer more positional flexibility with Tyler Smith being able to cover tackle if needed.

• Strategic Roster Considerations:

  • McCool: Bass’s presence allows Tyler Smith to be available as a backup tackle, “which is a good solution to have in your back pocket.” ([09:40])

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3. What’s Next at Center? – Draft and Depth Implications

[10:25–11:06]

• Backup Center Uncertainty:

  • Mosher: “I don't know who the backup center is right now. I'm assuming it's TJ Bass and that's not a position that he's worked at a ton.”
  • Suggests Cowboys could look to draft a center earlier than expected in a strong O-line draft class.

• Depth Concerns:

  • Mentions that Cooper Beebe is injury-prone and Cowboys may want to draft a center as insurance.

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4. Minor Personnel Note: Ready Stewart Returns

[11:06–12:23]

• Stewart's Fit:

  • Brought back on an exclusive-rights free agent deal (very low cost).
  • McCool: “He's a little bit undersized...But we saw him play outside as well. He showed some versatility...You're getting value for him because you're paying him almost nothing and he's a guy who can in a pinch come in and play snaps for you if you need him to.” ([11:06])
  • Mosher: “You also just need corners that are healthy right now with DaRon Bland, you know, still out...It helps to have at least a couple guys that you could run practice with who've played meaningful snaps.” ([11:36])

• Rationale for Retention:

  • “He just sets a floor. He's just a guy that has NFL experience...anybody that you can get out there is I think a nice one, especially again at a cost-controlled rate.” – McCool ([12:01])

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Notable Quotes

• “They didn't want to be left on the hook for paying $10.6 million for two backup, you know, interior offensive linemen.”
  — Landon McCool ([01:53])

• “Bass is the better player, Hoffman is the more versatile player. Teams will usually pay for the versatile guy that can play all three interior spots.”
  — Marcus Mosher ([02:58])

• “Rather than just trying to keep him on a one year, $3 million deal, they're letting him hit free agency where he can get a bigger contract and maybe the Cowboys can get a comp pick.”
  — Marcus Mosher ([03:12])

• “I think he's going to have a pretty robust market. I think he can be a starting center in the NFL.”
  — Marcus Mosher ([04:33])

• “I think TJ Bass currently is just a better player at guard. He's a little bit stronger. I think he moves folks a little bit more, especially in the run game.”
  — Landon McCool ([08:52])

• “If you don't feel 100% about your backup left tackle...kicking Bass in at left guard gives you a starter level guard and then kicks Tyler Smith out to tackle.”
  — Landon McCool ([09:40])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:22–05:49: Cowboys’ reasoning for non-tendering Brock Hoffman—financial, fit, and goodwill factors explained
• 07:04–10:25: Why TJ Bass was the pick over Hoffman—on-field skillset, run game strength, roster flexibility
• 10:25–11:06: Center position outlook, potential draft plans
• 11:06–12:23: Returning backup CB Ready Stewart—roster floor discussion and health status overview

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Summary Flow

The episode opens with the headline Cowboys’ decision to let Brock Hoffman go, moving into an in-depth analysis of the contractual and scheme realities. The hosts agree the move, while unfortunate sentimentally, was logical given salary cap and roster management priorities. Both express hope that Hoffman will find a starting role (and payday) elsewhere. The episode then turns to why the team chose TJ Bass for the protected interior lineman spot: on-field strength, positional value, and keeping their options open for offensive line shuffling in case of injury. The discussion concludes by previewing draft possibilities at center, underscoring uncertainty in backup depth, and rounds out with a quick note on the retention of cornerback Ready Stewart for injury insurance—all delivered with an informed, conversational, and optimistic tone for the team’s future roster moves.

Transcript

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[Landon McCool]

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[Landon McCool]

Prime.

[Arcus Mosher]

The Dallas Cowboys decided not to tender Brock Hoffman.

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Huh?

[Arcus Mosher]

We'll try to explain why next.

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You are Locked On Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network. Your team every day.

[Arcus Mosher]

Welcome back to the Locked on Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network. Your team every day. We'd like to thank you for making us the number one sports podcast network. And on today's show, we're discussing Brock Hoffman not being tendered by the Dallas Cowboys. They had an opportunity to put the original round tender on him or the second round tender which would have guaranteed him 5.8 million. Instead, they allow him to hit free agency and he's probably gone. Why did they do this, Landon?

[Landon McCool]

Well, I think they probably decided they wanted to choose, right? They, they didn't want to pay both of these guys 5.8 million. You and I had discussed this on the show not too long ago, and I think we had decided that we probably would have gone this the route of paying them both and maybe trying to trade one of them. I think that they may have figured that they, they might not have been able to handle that or to do that. And they didn't want to be left on the hook for paying $10.6 million for two backup, you know, interior offensive linemen. So I, I think ultimately they chose the correct player if they were going to tag the one of the two. But I think, you know, the other option would have been the original round tender, which I think would have paid him something like $3.5 million. And he was an undrafted free agent, so somebody would have definitely met that, you know, and, and you would have lost.

[Arcus Mosher]

The Cowboys would have had the opportunity to match, I believe.

[Landon McCool]

But again, that's like going closer and closer to trying to get, you know, pay another backup interior offensive lineman more than, I mean he's, I mean I think he probably would have made more than DJ Bass in the open market, don't you think?

[Arcus Mosher]

Probably just because the guys that are so I. We'll talk about Bass in a second. But I think Bass is the better player, Hoffman is the more versatile player and teams will usually pay for the versatile guy that can play all three interior spots. I think one of two things happened actually. Probably both of these. Number one, I don't think Hoffman was the best scheme fit for Clayton Adams because he usually wants bigger offensive linemen. Now Hoffman played well last year for him, but I think he wants maybe to bring in some more bigger body types. But I think more than anything, I wonder if they're just doing this as a favor to Brock Hoffman who is, yeah, sure, been around for a while. He's 26. They knew that he, you know, at best was going to be their seventh offensive lineman. And rather than just trying to keep him on a one year, $3 million deal, they're letting him hit free agency where he can get a bigger contract and maybe the Cowboys can get a comp pick.

[Landon McCool]

Well, and another reason not to go through the hassle of doing the original round tender and then kind of forcing, you know, the deal making to go through them. Yeah, I agree. Like, you know, he was, he was a really good soldier. You didn't have to pay him very much and he, you got more than your worth value out of him for sure. I think it is good play to just, you know, help that guy's career. And again, I think everybody that has a Cowboy star on their, on their jersey, who wears it on their hat as a fan, all of them would, would send nothing but well wishes to Brock Hoffman. We all loved him while he was here. I wanted to see him go make some money. It's just too bad that he could come back and be a reliable back for the Cowboys.

[Arcus Mosher]

And one of the things that generally happens when you put these guys in the original round tenders is a lot of teams shy away from those players because they don't want to do all the legwork just for the original team to match it. Right. And if the Cowboys knew that they weren't going to bring him back, it's better off just to take the tender off of him and let him hit free agency. And now he's got to me, I think he's going to have a pretty robust market. I think he can be a starting center in the NFL. There's a lot of teams that have cap space and a lot of teams that need offensive linemen. I hope that he goes out and get a big, gets a big contract, gets a two or three year deal. We've seen plenty of other Cowboy offensive linemen like Connor Williams and Connor McGovern leave and have awesome careers. I hope that happens for Hoffman.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean, you're seeing these centers drop like flies out there too. Like you got one that's retired, you got another one that's getting cut. And this is going into what is not necessary. Yeah. Which is going into what is not necessarily a super elite top end center group necessarily. Unless you want to draft Spencer Fano to play center, which apparently some people are at least looking at, or at least seeing if he can play there. I, I think it's an interesting, it's an interesting, you know, know, market for him. I think he's going to have lots of opportunity and I really do hope he gets a big payday because he has absolutely worked and for it and earned it.

[Arcus Mosher]

All right, let's talk about TJ Bass, who the Cowboys decided to keep over Brock Hoffman. What made them come to that conclusion? We'll get to that next.

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[Arcus Mosher]

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[Landon McCool]

I I think he's the better player at, at guard and, and I don't think that they viewed Hoffman necessarily as someone who probably they want as a long term answer at guard. I think he probably is a center only in this, in this system and, and I think so you lose a little bit of the versatility and then it becomes about who's the better player. And I think TJ Bass currently is just a better player at guard. He's a little bit stronger. I think he moves folks a little bit more, especially in the run game. So I think they're probably equal in the past. They're pretty, both pretty decent in pass protection. But I think for, for, for the Cowboys they wanted to keep one of their strong interior offensive linemen because I think it gives them the opportunity if they need to, to use Tyler Smith as a legitimate option as a backup tackle if they had to go that route. Right. I mean they don't want to have to do that, I think. And Tyler Smith sure doesn't seemingly want to have to do that. But I think if you don't feel 100% about your backup left tackle, we'll see how that whole situation plays out. What kind of steps a guy like Nate Thomas takes over the off season. But if you don't really aren't feeling comfortable about it or if there's another injury at the position, kicking Bass in at left guard gives you a starter, a starter, quality guard and then kicks Tyler Smith out to tackle and keeps another kind of starter level, quality left tackle, which is a good solution to have in your back pocket.

[Arcus Mosher]

Two things. I don't know who the backup center is right now. I'm assuming it's TJ Bass and that's not a position that he's worked at a ton. But I also wonder because this is a really good center draft, maybe the Cowboys are looking at center on day three. We got to remember Cooper Beebe is going into the third year of his contract. He, he's also had a hard time staying healthy. Don't be surprised if the Cowboys take a center a lot earlier in this draft than maybe most people anticipate. The other thing I wanted to ask you about is Ready Stewart. The Cowboys brought him back. I believe he was an exclusive free agent, somebody that played in the slot last year. Do you think he fits Christian Parker's defense?

[Landon McCool]

I think he's a little bit undersized like we talked about to play kind of the slot full time. But we saw him play outside as well. He had showed some versatility and, and he is an exclusive rights free agent which means that it cost them like almost nothing to, to keep him.

[Arcus Mosher]

So no downside.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, it's like that's, that's the reason he's on the team is that his contract is such and he's being paid so little that you're getting value for him because you're paying him almost nothing and he's a guy who can in a pinch come in and play snaps for you if you need him to.

[Arcus Mosher]

You also just need corners that are healthy right now with the Ron Bland, you know, still out. You've got, you know, Savon Revel still, you know, recovering from the knee injury. It helps to have at least a couple guys that you could run practice with who've played meaningful snaps. I don't know if he's going to make the 53 man roster because I expect a lot of changeover at the position over the next two months. But we'll see.

[Landon McCool]

He just sets a floor. He's just a guy that has NFL experience. You know, playing, you know, snaps at the position. I think right now, any anybody that you can get out there.

[Arcus Mosher]

Literally anybody.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, until you refill the room, any anybody that you can get out there is I think a nice one, especially again at a cost controlled rate like you're getting in an exclusive rights free agent contract.

[Arcus Mosher]

All right, that is it for today's show. We'd like to thank you for making Lock On Cowboys your first listen every single day. If you never miss an episode, the everyday club is built for you. Get locked on Cowboys ad free members only, discord access and so much more. Head over to lockon cowboys supercast.com to join the club. And for those of you on video, we can send you the first ever 24. 7 national NBA YouTube channel and on audio, make your second listen the Locked on NFL podcast, a Locked on NFL and a lot done NFL Draft podcast. Both are fantastic listens for this time of year. Go follow lanen on Twitter at mccoolbcb. I'm Arcus Underscore Mosher and we'll see you right back here tomorrow.

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