Cowboys' Offensive Line Depth Takes Hit This Offseason

LARAMIE -- Rex Johnsen said last month in Las Vegas that Wyoming's offensive line was really close to being a 10-deep unit.

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In fact, the senior left tackle said this is the strongest room he's been a part of since he arrived on campus back in 2022. That's quite a statement considering he's lined up next to the likes of Frank Crum, Caden Barnett and Jack Walsh.

"A lot of dudes are gaining weight, getting stronger," he said at Mountain West Media Days, just hours after being named a preseason First Team selection. "I'm really excited for it."

That was then.

It was no surprise that Nathan Geiger will be sidelined in 2026. The junior tackle suffered a season-ending knee injury in a Week-4 meeting with Colorado last September, his second ACL tear in as many years.

What did come as a shock to Jay Sawvel and Co. was the loss of Brandt Rice, who suffered a broken ankle in a Moped accident this summer. Jake Davies (foot) also isn't expected to return until September, at the earliest. Quinn Grovesteen-Matchey (undisclosed) was on the field Wednesday for the Cowboys' opening practice of fall camp, but in a limited role.

Presumed starting left guard Chandler Donaway was also MIA inside War Memorial Stadium. The senior is back home in Texas "for personal reasons," according to Sawvel. His return date is currently unknown.

"Offensive line depth is a concern in this program because right now you have one entire offensive line recruiting class where nobody practiced today with the first or second group," Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said Wednesday inside War Memorial Stadium after the Cowboys' first official fall practice. "And that's the guys that all started in 2023. There were five of them, and none of them are practicing on the first day. I mean, you can't absorb that for the long term."

If there's a positive, Sawvel added, it's the emergence of 6-foot-3, 313-pound Josiah Petaia, who was awarded the honor of "most improved" in the weight room this offseason. He slid in for Donaway on Wednesday.

Giovanni Panozzo, who is in the hunt for a starting spot at right guard, has also stood out to the staff. Same can be said for Caleb Hall.

The issue?

Experience. Or lack thereof.

Panozzo and Hall both appeared in just two games and each have just eight offensive snaps under their collective belt. Petaia entered one contest and was on the field for five plays.

This trio has only three combined pass blocks.

If the season started today, the pecking order -- left to right -- would likely be Johnsen, Donaway (or Petaia), Jason Maciejczak, Panozzo (or Johnathan Bush/Kalvin Janssen) and Braylon Jenkins.

Who will back those guys up when the inevitable injury occurs?

Joe Tripodi wasn't naming names on Wednesday, and agree wholeheartedly with Johnsen that, top to bottom, this is the toughest this group has been since he arrived in 2022.

Still, there's that one thing that's missing: proof.

"We talk about, they need to prevail in practice, not just survive," Wyoming's offensive line coach said Wednesday, adding every coach in the nation is currently worried about depth in the early stages of the season. "That's really part of the message: build that edge and that toughness.

"... Now it's time to play football, right? There's a lot of work in front of us, but that's the job."

Sawvel said the biggest aid to this youthful front five could be the new scheme itself, not to mention a quarterback in Tyler Hughes, who rushed for 670 yards and 11 touchdowns last fall during his final season at William and Mary.

"We're going to do some things that will allow us to not have to block forever to make a play," he said. "So, I do think that's going to help us, too."

Part of Sawvel's offseason revamp of this offense is, in part, built around making life easier on the front.

"I thought we made it too hard on our offensive line," he added. "... Some of the things that we were running, you had to block damn near perfect to get six yards. That's not what we want."

Despite being short-staffed, Tripodi said the mindset won't change no matter who gets thrown into the fire ahead of the season opener against Border War rival Colorado State.

"You've got to lead the way," he said, bluntly. "We've got to set the tone. We've got to get back to doing that. I think, in my first few years here, we did that. Then, we weren't good enough the last couple years, period."

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