Cowboys offensive tackle Donald Hawkins spent his entire rookie season last year on the team's 53-man roster, only seeing one game on the game day roster. Still, the 22-year-old from Texas sees a good outlook for the offensive line in 2015.
One of those inspiring factors is the return of eight-year tackle Doug Free, who signed a three-year contract worth $15 million in early March.
I feel confident," Hawkins said Tuesday at Texas' pro day. "Doug Free is a great leader. You know, my year I was there he helped me a lot. I feel good about him being back in the locker room, continuing to help me improve on and off the field."
The undrafted free agent, who spent time with Philadelphia and Cleveland before landing with the Cowboys, says Free helps him with his confidence and technique.
"You know, things that you expect out of leader," Hawkins added.
Another helpful influence in Hawkins' rookie season was then-assistant offensive line coach Frank Pollack, who was elevated to full-fledged position coach upon Bill Callahan's departure for Washington.
"He was a great offensive line coach," said Hawkins. "I worked with him a lot in my first year in Dallas."
Dallas brought in longtime offensive line coach Steve Loney to be Pollack's assistant. Hawkins can't wait until the off-season to see what experience he can share with his 30 years coaching the offensive line.
"He's a great guy," Hawkins said.
Among all the personnel changes that have swept the Cowboys this off-season, the offensive line has remain unscathed. Perhaps this cohesion will be enough to develop young talent like Donald Hawkins.
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