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Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas — The phrase is not in the Dallas Cowboys‘ scouting language just yet, but if it ever is, they can thank 2024 third-round pick Cooper Beebe.
On a conference call after he was drafted, Beebe, a Kansas State offensive lineman, was asked to describe his playing style.
“I would say I’m a pretty nasty guy,” he said. “I’m a dude that tries to ‘dirt’ people anytime I can, but I’m also a dude that focuses on technique. I have that kind of mindset that I want to dirt dudes any time I can. So it’s kind of that nasty play style.”
Said Kansas State offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Conor Riley, “We kind of coined that a little bit. You used to say, ‘eat dirt.’ Now we say, ‘eat pellets.’ It evolved into ‘dirt ’em.’ That’s something we take pride in here.”
As a rough definition, it is the art of knocking a defender on the ground, preferably on his back and a few yards from where the collision took place. Maybe even with his feet flying in the air. Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay was not aware of the term until he heard it from Beebe.
“Cooper likes to dirt people, I read that. Whatever that means,” McClay said. “I’m glad he is doing it for us.”
Beebe makes his on-field introduction to the Cowboys with the rookie minicamp this week. He will not be asked to dirt any defenders this weekend. This is more of an orientation period for the rookies before they assimilate into the rest of the offseason program with the veterans next week.
For Beebe, however, he will be asked to move to a new position. At K-State, he started 48 of 51 games at left tackle, left guard, right tackle or right guard. The Cowboys will ask him to play center, where he will compete for a starting spot with Brock Hoffman to replace Tyler Biadasz, who signed with the Washington Commanders.
Beebe is not unfamiliar with the spot. He worked there during practices, and only injuries elsewhere on the line kept him from playing there during games.
“Part of the reason I wanted to continue to develop him at center is because I knew his future in the NFL was going to very much hinge on what his versatility is,” Riley said. “I think that’s true for any offensive lineman, but especially an interior offensive lineman. We thought it was kind of fitting that he work a little bit at center because what you do know about him is that he had the ability to communicate and understand the offense, which is one of the most critical rules.”
Riley was worried he might spread Beebe too thin.
“Am I creating a jack of all trades and master of none?” Riley said. “He just continued to take on responsibility after responsibility and not only handle it well, but handle it in dominant fashion.”
Riley always saw Beebe in the film room. Because of practice-time limitations, he would send players different cutups to review, and before he could get into them with the group the next day, Beebe would tell his teammates to watch how a running back handled a certain look or how a linebacker fits a hole.
“That’s something I definitely focus on a lot. Just understanding what the defense is showing me, what the defensive line is and how they’re lining up. How is the linebacker’s alignment? And what’s that telling me and what was the safety rotation telling me?” Beebe said. “I think there’s a lot of stuff that I really look for when I’m out there that I’ve learned throughout my time at Kansas State, which is going to transition well into the NFL.”
The Cowboys’ last two centers, Travis Frederick and Biadasz, earned Pro Bowl spots. Frederick, a first-round pick in 2013, walked in as a starter. Biadasz started every game he played from his second year on.
The Cowboys were able to select Beebe after a trade back in the first round with the Detroit Lions from No. 24 to No. 29 while picking up pick No. 73 as well. In the first round, the Cowboys selected Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton, who they hope will be their left tackle for years to come. With the 73rd pick, they got Beebe, who they hope can solidify the middle of their line for years to come.
They certainly hope he can dirt a few defenders.
Beebe’s favorite block came against Houston when “I pulled out on the edge and I made his feet go above his head.” He had another against Kansas. One of Riley’s favorites came against Missouri when Beebe was pulled to his left and took out a defensive back to allow quarterback Adrian Martinez get to the end zone.
“Quite often we’d just get to the film review for corrections,” Riley said, “and there’s a short clip of Cooper and I’d tell them, ‘This is going on the clinic tape. That’s the way it’s supposed to look. Everybody, let’s just have a moment of silence and appreciate the beauty of what he did.'”