Dallas Locks Up Spann-Ford and Flournoy While the Line Around Them Keeps Breaking

Two extensions got done. The offensive line situation, meanwhile, continues to deteriorate.

The Cowboys have secured Brevyn Spann-Ford and Ryan Flournoy ahead of the season opener, which is a reasonable pair of moves in isolation — Spann-Ford logged 16 games at tight end last year and Flournoy is active and available. But the grounding reality here is that Dallas is signing depth pieces while the structural problem up front remains unresolved. Matt Hennessy is on injured reserve. Tyler Smith, as I noted earlier this week, is also on IR. The offensive line Dallas is putting on the field Week 1 is not the one anyone drew up in the spring.

Spann-Ford is a fine piece to keep. He appeared in nearly every game last season and gives Dak Prescott a reliable check-down option. Flournoy being locked in adds another body to a roster that has been losing them steadily. But neither move addresses what's actually broken. The guard situation has no easy answer — I wrote that two days ago and nothing has changed — and the Cowboys are now essentially papering over a structural crack with moves that belong in a different conversation.

The season opens shortly. Dallas has real offensive weapons — Prescott, Javonte Williams, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens all on the active list — but those weapons need time and protection to function. Right now the front office is extending tight ends while the line they're supposed to block behind keeps thinning out.