Dallas Cowboys: 5 burning questions in 2018

2. Can the offensive line stay healthy?

Heading into the preseason, the Cowboys had arguably the best offensive line in football. There wasn’t a projected starter in the group that didn’t at least have Pro Bowl potential. Unfortunately, a rash of injuries has hit the unit the Dallas coaching staff was counting on the most.

The good news is that no player is currently slated to miss the entire season. The bad news is that almost everyone is dealing with some sort of issue. This could be an absolute patchwork group when Week 1 arrives.

The most serious long-term issue might be the autoimmune issue plaguing center Travis Frederick. He thought he was suffering from repeated stingers, but it’s actually Guillain Barre Syndrome. That causes the Pro Bowler to lose strength periodically. No one is quite sure what the future holds for Frederick.

Zack Martin might be the best guard in football, but a knee injury has his status for Week 1 in serious doubt. He isn’t going to miss a ton of action, but anytime a lineman starts to have knee pain it’s something to monitor going forward.

Even La’El Collins is dealing with a painful ankle injury of his own. He’s playing through it at the moment, but there could be a time when it becomes too much to grind through.

At the very least, the Cowboys are going to be forced to shuffle their offensive line early in the season. At worst, a couple of these nagging injuries could turn into chronic issues. Dallas is playing with fire here.