#run-blocking

#run-blocking

Booker's first season in Dallas looks very much like the start of a long-term answer at guard after the departure of Zack Martin. Drafted 12th overall and dropped straight into the starting lineup, he finished his rookie year as the Cowboys' clear Rookie of the Year and one of the few unquestioned wins on a team that struggled for consistency. Across the season he handled a huge workload in protection and the most of any rookie interior lineman, yet he allowed only three sacks

Booker's Week 15 tape against Minnesota looked as though he was a stabilizing force. In pass protection, the simplest stat tells the story: Dallas surrendered two sacks, but none were credited to Booker. As a run blocker, Booker had a tougher assignment but held up. Dallas still ran it 30 times for 138 yards, so there were lanes to be had, but a lot of those yards came through persistence rather than consistent movement at the point of attack.

Actually our targeting and our identification of the front and what we were trying to do was good,

Against Kansas City, Booker's night was all about dealing with interior movement. He kept the sack column empty, with only a single pressure being allowed all game. Booker had a big ask this week since he had to deal with long-developing downs against Steve Spagnuolo's scheme that created free runners or forced the protection to slide late. Booker stayed square on the Chiefs' interior and passed off stunts cleanly, helping Dak work the middle of the field.

Booker's night in Vegas looked like vet-caliber guard play from a rookie. Dallas didn't hide him, and he didn't need hiding. He kept the right B-gap drama-free while the Cowboys controlled the tempo and Dak carved out a huge performance. The box score backs the narrative as Dallas allowed just one sack for one yard and churned out 114 rushing yards on 31 attempts, part of a 381-yard, 24-first-down outing in a 33-16 win.