All in all, not a bad first season individually for Cooper Beebe.

He moved to the center position after not having played there at all in college.

And in his first year, PFF had him graded at number 15 in the league, with an overall score of 65.

But he posted a whopping 70 in the last 8 weeks of the season.

If the Cowboys do make a leap up front this season, Beebe just might be they key to it all.

The man in the middle of the Cowboys offensive line, Cooper Beebe, is gearing up for his second year in the NFL. Already he can tell the energy level for this year’s team is different.

“I mean having Schotty [as] the head coach, you know, he just brings that energy,” Beebe said. “Everybody around him is just so, so upbeat. We’re having fun, and, you know, that’s something you know, we needed. And I think he does a really good job, you know, it’s not just something, you know, he does for the camera, but I mean, it’s real.”

Going into year two, Beebe says he feels more assertive directing traffic up front.

“I think the biggest thing from last year was just really being a vocal leader on that offensive line and just in the offense in general,” Beebe said. “I thought last year there’s different times where I wasn’t definitive enough. I wasn’t loud enough with different ideas and stuff like that. That’s something I really try to focus on, just being confident with the call I make.”

That confidence comes from having more time on task with his quarterback. Dak Prescott.

“I’ve been hanging out,” Beebe said. “Me and him go golfing all the time. We’re just building that chemistry together, and that’s what you need for a quarterback center. I think he has a lot more trust in me. And of course, you know, he always has the final say. But I think just going into this year, he has a lot more trust in me than last year.

One of the mantras for Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is to compete every day. The competition is fierce in the offensive line room.

One of the goals for the Cowboys as an offense is to control the line of scrimmage. And Beebe knows the group will have to improve on their play from last season.

“I think it starts with just the mindset,” Beebe said. We knew last year our O-line as a unit kind of struggled there at times. We’re trying to take a lot more on us. So just trying to get that mindset that we control the tempo, we control the physicality, and just going out there and just giving it your all.”

For the first time in 11 years, the Cowboys will be without Zack Martin playing at right guard.

But the future Hall of Famer has left a lasting impression on Beebe.

“I think the biggest thing he kind of taught me is just how to be pro, how to be a leader,” Beebe said. “I think that was something last year I was a little stressed. New position, trying to figure things out. I feel like I’m a lot more relaxed, comfortable, I’m in my own element. I can go out there and focus on being a leader. And I think that’s one of the biggest things he kind of instilled in me.”