Motivation is important in football, so when a player is entering a contract year, he’s positioned to be at his best. The Dallas Cowboys have a few players who fit this description – namely George Pickens – but a valuable reserve player floating between positions gets top billing this time.
T.J. Bass, an undrafted free agent from the 2023 draft class, is positioned to be a super-sub for the Cowboys in 2026. The fourth-year guard out of Oregon entered the year as Dallas’ swing guard. With left and right guard ability, the 6-foot-4, 325-pound veteran gives the Cowboys a reliable option should something happen to starters Tyler Smith or Tyler Booker. After a season-ending injury to reserve center Matt Hennessy, Bass’ role just got bigger.
Bass was slapped with a second-round RFA tender this spring, which will pay him $5.77 million in salary for 2026. With Brock Hoffman now playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Hennessy placed on IR, Bass now appears to also be first alternate at center. Cooper Beebe, the clear starter at center, is an ascending talent and cornerstone hopeful. He’s also missed seven games in his two-year career.
Seven games aren’t much, but they aren’t nothing either. It’s been proven time and time again; backup offensive linemen can make or break a season in the NFL. 32 teams in the NFL wish they had better depth on their offensive line, and the Cowboys are lucky to have a super-sub like Bass waiting in the wings. Between left guard, right guard and center, someone’s going to miss time in 2026. And unless a training camp sleeper breaks through next month, Bass is the likely substitute.
Based on previous performances, Bass is a player who has a starter’s skillset. He’ll likely never be of Smith or Booker’s quality but there’s a good chance he’ll be a solid starter after this season. And if he thrives in this super-sub role in Dallas this season, that role could conceivably be with the Cowboys.
If everything goes to cow manure at left tackle this season and the Cowboys lose faith in Tyler Guyton and Nate Thomas’ ability to ever be the answer — a distinct possibility — Smith may be asked to semi-permanently move from left guard to left tackle. Such a move would open up a vacancy at guard and that just happens to be Bass’s best spot. Now, the Cowboys could always invest another first-round draft pick in left tackle, but that would be the fourth first rounder used on the O-line in six years; therefore, it’s probably something the team would like to avoid.
In 2026 it’s all about motivation for the Cowboys’ super-sub. Bass is a highly regarded reserve who’s in position to play this season. He’s playing for his future, whether that’s Dallas or somewhere else, and that is sure to help the Cowboys in the present.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys’ $5.8 million super substitute subplot could grow beyond 2026
Reporting by Reid D Hanson, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Reid D Hanson, Cowboys Wire | USA TODAY Network
