Considering the issues the Dallas Cowboys had over the past year keeping their offensive line intact, maybe they should have hung onto veteran center and guard Matt Farniok back in August, when the team let him go on the NFL’s 53-man cutdown day. Farniok has a chance for some revenge, though, because he’s found himself with at least a chance of playing in Super Bowl LVIII in two weeks in Las Vegas. He was re-signed by the Detroit Lions this week, albeit for a spot on the practice squad
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Farniok was a seventh-round draft pick by the Cowboys out of Nebraska in 2021, and showed some promise, getting snaps in special teams and spot duty on the offensive line. He played 12 games as a rookie, getting 72 special-teams snaps, and played seven games in his second season, even earning two starts at guard, and playing all three interior spots on the line during the season.
He was part of a full committee approach on figuring out how the second-string linemen would pan out, one that stretched back to OTAs in May. Back then, Farniok said his goal was to, “Just continue to do my job better than I did it yesterday. Learn from any mistake I make and don’t repeat it and just continue to be a better football player than I was.”.Unfortunately for Farniok, he struggled in pass protection throughout the preseason and the Cowboys surprised some by going with rookie T.J. Bass out of Oregon. Because of injuries along the line Bass wound up playing a significant role, logging 137 snaps at left guard and 204 at right guard. Bass started twice, first in the Week 3 loss to Arizona and then again in the Week 18 win over the Commanders.
