» The Dallas Cowboys' offensive line reached fabled levels of greatness during the 2016 season, lifting then-rookie runner Ezekiel Elliott to the NFL's rushing title. Yet, after offseason personnel losses at right tackle and left guard, the 2017 version of the Cowboys' front five came into the season with far more questions than the previous year's dominance would suggest. As the year wore on and the news cycle hammered the storylines of Elliott's suspension and Dak Prescott's sophomore slump, it appears the NFL world at large forgot to notice that the unit that once anchored this team was no longer a true trump card. The Cowboys allowed a pressure on 28.6 percent of Prescott's dropbacks, the 12th-highest rate in the league. They took an even steeper decline as run blockers. Elliott averaged a whopping 0.6 yards before defenders closed within a yard of him in 2016, more than doubling up the league average. However, Cowboys running backs averaged just 0.2 YGBC in 2017, ranking 20th on the year. When you realize that Dallas received high-level play over a full 16 games from just two players (center Travis Frederick and right guard Zack Martin) after a year in which the whole starting five fired on all cylinders, their offensive issues become far less surprising.