Joey Bosa was almost a Dallas Cowboy, but now he’s the key to beating them

Joey Bosa or Ezekiel Elliott?

During the 2016 NFL Draft, those options were on the table for the Dallas Cowboys.

Eventually, the Chargers took Bosa third overall and the Cowboys selected Elliott fourth overall. But Bosa thought he could be a Cowboy given how much interest they had in him during the pre-draft process.

“I thought I was going to be a Cowboy for sure,” Bosa said Tuesday on a conference call with reporters at The Star. “I was pretty convinced. That’s where I wanted to be, originally.

“I thought it was a great fit for me. I liked it there. I liked the coaches and everything. I got picked one pick too early and the rest is history, obviously.”

There are no complaints from either camp now.

Bosa and Elliott will not meet on the field, at least not in Thursday’s Thanksgiving game, because Elliott is serving a six-game suspension.

Bosa, who has 10.5 sacks, remains an issue for the offensive line.

Cowboys offensive tackles vs. Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa

The Cowboys are dealing with injuries to their offensive tackles. All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith (groin/ back) has missed the past two games, but is trending toward returning this week. Right tackle La’el Collins is dealing with a back issue and Byron Bell took his first-team reps during practice.

Whoever is out there, though, will have their hands full against Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa. He’s taken little time to adjust to the pro game. He had 10.5 sacks last season as a rookie, and already has 10.5 sacks this season. He’s been on fire of late, too, with eight sacks in the last six games.

Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant vs. Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward

Dez Bryant hasn’t had a 100-yard receiving game yet, and hasn’t had a touchdown reception in four consecutive games. But the Cowboys are clearly trying to get him going — he had 14 targets last week against the Philaelphia Eagles.

Bryant will have his hands full this week against the Chargers secondary, namely cornerback Casey Hayward. Hayward was a Pro Bowler a year ago and is coming off his third career two-interception game last week against the Buffalo Bills.

This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 8:45 AM with the headline "Joey Bosa was almost a Dallas Cowboy, but now he’s the key to beating them."