NFL Team Previews: Dallas Cowboys
Halfway done with the NFL previews, I'll be looking at the (what seems to be) most covered division in the NFL, the NFC East. To start, I'll be doing "America's Team", the Dallas Cowboys, coached by Jason Garrett and with Jerry Jones as the general manager. After beating all expectations two years ago and winning the NFC East, the Cowboys underachieved last season (partially due to injury) and lost the NFC East. This year, a lot of analysts think they will win the division, and the Cowboy faithful remain ever hopeful.
DRAFT RECAP: The picks the Cowboys made did not surprise me at all, and the top 2 are boom or bust potential. I thought they would go with positions of need, but Jerry Jones is a master of flair (as he tried to take Johnny Manziel a few years ago) and likes taking the sexy picks. To start off, he took RB Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick. A lot of us know him as the guy who wears half a shirt, but we should realize that he's the first top 5 running back selection since Trent Richardson. Does that mean he's Trent Richardson? No. But it shows that a lot of teams are scared off by valuing running backs too much, and maybe he was selected a little high. But he also has that offensive line in front of him, which is why he is more likely a boom than a bust. In the second round, the Cowboys took another top 5 talent in ILB Jaylon Smith. After getting injured in the bowl game last year, some people believe Jaylon Smith won't be the same, and some even believe he won't play again. He could become one of the best in his generation, but I believe his injury is more likely to bring him back down to earth. I like the selection of QB Dak Prescott, and think that he may be able to replace Romo adequately in a few years and he's also good value in the fourth round. The Cowboys also took two defensive linemen between Smith and Prescott, as half of their defense (basically) is facing a suspension, and that's without Greg Hardy being there.
FREE AGENCY: The Cowboys pretty much stayed in the division this free agent period, bringing in RB Alfred Morris from Washington and DE Cedric Thornton from Philadelphia. Both are coming off decent seasons, but neither is coming off their best. The Alfred Morris signing looked to be pretty meaningless once they selected Elliott, but last year's starter Darren McFadden injured his elbow trying to not drop his phone. As Stephen A Smith of First Take says of the Cowboys (with me paraphrasing), it seems that anything that could go wrong, will go wrong for the Cowboys. This, plus the suspensions, seems to hold true at least for the moment.
PLAYERS LOST: Not a lot, as I don't count Greg Hardy being someone to miss from your team. The Cowboys let their backup C, QB and a backup RB walk, so they really didn't lose anything. So, instead I'll be listing off players with suspensions and injuries: DE Demarcus Lawrence (4 games), DE Randy Gregory (4 games), ILB Rolando McClain (10 games), ILB Jaylon Smith (likely to be at least the whole season), RB Darren McFadden (questionable for the start of the regular season).
STRONGEST POSITION: The offensive line. All five of these guys could make the Pro-Bowl or All NFL First Team this year, and the only thing that could really take this group down is injury. Undrafted second year player La'el Collins might just be the best of them, and all of these guys are in the top 5 at their respective position. With this line, Ezekiel Elliott has no excuse to not blow the league away by storm this season.
WEAKEST POSITION: Inside linebacker. Once these defensive ends return from suspension, the Cowboys will have a solid duo of defensive ends starting week 5. Inside linebacker is not going to be fixed until week 12 when Rolando McClain returns. Behind McClain, there is not a lot of depth, and the only real viable option is Andrew Gachkar until he returns. Sean Lee will have to oppose his will even more early this season, which he is more than capable of.
FIVE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS TO THE COWBOYS SUCCESS: LT Tyron Smith, LG La'el Collins, C Travis Frederick, RG Zack Martin, RT Doug Free. This Cowboys line is what will keep the Cowboys in games this season, but I'm done with the jokes and will tell you some non-lineman who are important as well. QB Tony Romo, WR Dez Bryant, RB Ezekiel Elliott, LB Sean Lee, S Barry Church. Quarterbacks are always important, and a huge reason the Cowboys struggled last year was the injury to Romo. Ditto for Dez Bryant. Ezekiel Elliott is needed to balance the offensive attack. LB Sean Lee is the heart of the Cowboys' defense, and S Barry Church is the main man in the secondary, leading the Cowboys secondary in tackles with 117.
PREDICTION: On paper, minus the suspensions, the Cowboys have a good team. But there are two reason why I don't think they are Super Bowl contenders. 1) They are not in the same class yet as the Seahawks, Panthers, Packers, Cardinals or Vikings. 2) I will rewrite my Stephen A Smith paraphrase, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. I think 9-7 is a reasonable place for the Cowboys, and they have a good chance to recapture the NFC East.
