This is the Gridiron Review’s grading and breakdown series of every team’s offseason. In this article we will spotlight the Dallas Cowboys.
Players Retained:
Offense: Noah Brown, WR; Jeremy Sprinkle, TE; Dalton Schultz, TE
Defense: Dorance Armstrong, DL; Carlos Watkins, DL; Leighton Vander Esch, LB; Luke Gifford, LB; Jayron Kearse, S; Malik Hooker, S
Specials: Bryan Anger, P; Jake McQuaide, LS
Key Losses:
Offense: Corey Clement, RB; Ito Smith, RB; Sewo Olonilua, FB; Cedrick Wilson, WR; Malik Turner, WR; Robert Foster, WR; Blake Jarwin, TE; Connor Williams, OG; La’el Collins, OT; Ty Nsekhe, OT; Mitch Hyatt, OT
Defense: Randy Gregory, DL; Brent Urban, DL; Francis Bernard, LB; Maurice Canady, CB; Reggie Robinson, CB; Keanu Neal, S; Damontae Kazee, S; Darian Thompson, S
Specials: Greg Zuerlein, K; Hunter Niswander, P
Key Free Agent Pick-ups:
Offense: Ryan Nall, RB; James Washington, WR
Defense: Dante Fowler Jr., DL
Trades(If Applicable):
- Acquired 2022 5th and 6th round picks in exchange for WR Amari Cooper and 2022 6th round pick
Draft Class:
- Round 1, Pick No. 24: Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa
- Round 2, Pick No. 56: Sam Williams, EDGE, Ole Miss
- Round 3, Pick No. 88: Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama
- Round 4, Pick No. 129: Jake Ferguson, TE, Wisconsin
- Round 5, Pick No. 155: Matt Waletzko, OT, North Dakota
- Round 5, Pick No. 167: DaRon Bland, CB, Fresno State
- Round 5, Pick No. 176: Damone Clark, LB, LSU
- Round 5, Pick No. 178: John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas
- Round 6, Pick No. 193: Devin Harper, LB, Oklahoma State
Our Offseason Grade: The rest of the NFC East improved, but not Dallas; First to Worst Candidate
Record Prediction(Division Rank): 7-10(4th)
Summary:
Dallas won the East last season as the Giants were struggling after Daniel Jones got hurt, the Eagles were fighting for the wild card, and the Commanders limped to the end with a roster that had more players on IR than starters. This year, they are looking like a strong candidate to go from first to worst in the division. This is what results after a brutal Amari Cooper trade, a rough and highly questionable draft, and the failure to sign anyone in free agency besides James Washington and Dante Fowler.
Offensively, Dak Prescott is leading the squad again. Dak is extraordinarily average (yes we said it) and now finds himself with the worst offensive line and weapon set (specifically at WR) he has had thus far. Dak has personally been responsible for multiple playoff losses with the Cowboys from the weird QB draw play as time expired, to the throw at Zeke’s feet that would have been a touchdown the year before. He is more like Kirk Cousins than Cowboys fans would lead you to believe. The backups to Prescott are uninspiring besides Tik Tok star Ben DiNucci. Running back is a very strong position as far as their one-two punch, even if Zeke Elliot is one of the worst contracts in football. We think this may be the year Tony Pollard overtakes Elliot or forces a 50-50 split of the workload. Beyond them though, it’s rough. Whenever Gallup is fully healthy, Lamb and he should form a good duo. After them it is free agent James Washington, third round reach Jalen Tolbert, special teamer Noah Brown, or picks from last year like Fehoko or Vasher. It is not a bad starting group and the depth is good enough. They franchise tagged Dalton Schultz, our most underrated tight end in football. It seems like they are hoping to sign an extension, but we think it is more likely he cashes out in FA next year. They drafted a good backup in Jake Ferguson (who is very Schultz-like) in the 4th round. The biggest issue on offense, though, is the offensive line. They lost Connor Williams and La’el Collins. They tried to replace them with a massive reach in the first; Tyler Smith. They also added another tackle in the 5th. They are banking on the aging veterans, who have been hurt a lot, to not miss any time. Even then, this group will have problems. However this will not be their biggest problem this year.
The defense is going to be not good. They have one of the best players in football on a rookie contract, and they still will be rough. On the line they are starting Lawrence (who is always hurt), Fowler (who should be nothing more than rotational… if even healthy), Gallimore, and Carlos Watkins. The depth is not good either as the only other pass rusher they really have is second round gamble Sam Williams. It may end up being a good pick or he may have a lot of off the field issues. Micah Parsons is the headliner at linebacker even though he does rush off the edge half the time. It will be interesting to see if he is moved all over like a chess piece or settles into one role. They resigned Vander Esch who also seems to never be healthy. We speculate the third starter will be Jabrill Cox, but any of the players beyond him are not players that should be starting. Cox will need to take a big step forward this year as their best draft pick in Jack’s opinion, Damone Clark, is out for the year. Corner is led by polarizing Trevon Diggs. We personally consider him very overrated, but he could also take the jump and become more lockdown. Their biggest issue was not getting another corner to go with him. Anthony Brown had what felt like five pass interferences in their playoff game. Kelvin Joseph also has not shown much. They also do not have good depth. Safety is not too bad a spot for them as they resigned Hooker and Kearse. They are serviceable, but it does not matter if the corners do not hold up.
We have them finishing last in the division, albeit with seven wins. As with every other team in the East, they could win the division as it is wide open. In our eyes, the defense will be one of the worst pass defenses in football and will prevent them from making the playoffs again.