Dallas Cowboys draft: Cooper Beebe confirms move to center

When the Cowboys made Cooper Beebe one of their third-round draft picks a few weeks ago, there was a lot of speculation that he might move to the center position. This has now been confirmed by Beebe himself, adding additional weight to predictions that he will be Dallas' new starting player in 2024.

While Beebe played all over the offense in college, he has little experience at center. But the front office expressed confidence in his versatility immediately after his selection, and apparently the team won't waste any time asking Beebe to make the move.

No, that doesn't guarantee Beebe will be the starting player in Week 1. He still has to compete against Brock Hoffman, who has been in the system for two years and started a few games last season. But if pre-draft scouting and pedigree play any role at all, Beebe is expected to have a much higher ceiling and will only need to demonstrate a certain level of competency to push Hoffman back to the bench.

The starting center spot was vacated by the departure of Tyler Biadasz as a free agent to Washington. While Hoffman provided at least a default option to start in 2024, the Cowboys saw an opportunity for an upgrade when Beebe was available at the 73rd pick. Dallas took advantage of the additional third-rounder they acquired in a trade the night before, adding Beebe alongside OT Tyler Guyton for a major talent addition to the offensive line.

Because of his versatility, Beebe doesn't necessarily need to play center to start as a rookie. Who knows how injuries and other developments might impact the landscape over the next four months? But if the projected starters at tackle and guard, Guyton, Terence Steele, Zack Martin and Tyler Smith, all work out as planned, then center is the only spot Beebe would find immediate first-team representation.

With camps and practices starting soon, we'll see if Beebe or Hoffman get their first crack at playing with the starters. But even if Beebe is available as a backup to open the season, learning how to play center is still valuable since no one else on the roster is known to have that skill. There's been talk of TJ Bass trying to catch up, but this latest news about Beebe is the most substantial sign yet of Dallas' plan going forward.

It's still so early in the process and a lot still needs to happen. But at least it's now official that Cooper Beebe will be in the running for the center job going forward and should probably be considered the favorite. Admittedly, we had a strong feeling that was the case when the Cowboys selected him on Day 2. Ideally, you don't do this with backups. Now we'll see if Dallas made the right choice and targeted Beebe as their next starting center.