Cowboys Offseason Primer

The Cowboys aren’t bound for the postseason which means a couple of things…..

1 – I’m sad.  So are you.

2 – We soldier on and take a look at the storylines and decisions ahead to prepare for the 2018 season.

To me, the easiest way to do this is just a quick overview of the impending free agents that the team has to make decisions on and how they will affect the way the roster is built, as well as quickly hit each position group and the likelihood that the Cowboys could use an early pick in the Draft to address said group.

Unrestricted Free Agents That Matter:

DE DeMarcus Lawrence – They’ve been looking for Jerry’s ‘wardaddy’ since DeMarcus Ware left and they’ve finally found him.  They might even consider only drafting pass rushers named DeMarcus to see if that can keep working.  There is zero chance the team lets Lawrence get away, but he is incredibly interesting because he’s had issues staying healthy and is a veteran of multiple bad surgeries.  If they can find a number that is agreeable to both team and player, keeping him long-term would be ideal, but he’s also a prime candidate to receive the Franchise Tag and then play the wait and see game.

He’s going to be here either way.

LB Anthony Hitchens – This one’s verrrrrry interesting to me.  Hitchens is one of the most underrated players in the league.  He’s a rock solid starting NFL linebacker that played very well this year.  They also have Jaylon Smith on the roster and the owner and coaching staff clearly want him to be an impact player.  Factor in that the salary cap is a fickle beast and you can only pay so many guys big money before you run out of space.  My best guess is that Hitchens played too well this year for the Cowboys to be able to afford to keep him.

OG Jonathan Cooper – He saved his career this season.  He’d been floundering around the league, getting released by every team he played for until finally securing the starting job with the Cowboys.  He was a decent starter and if the price tag stays small, the Cowboys would be interested in keeping their offensive line intact. If the price tag is considerable, they can plug someone else in and be fine (just like they did this year).

LS L.P. Ladouceur – Long snappers need love too.  He’s basically perfect at his job.  As long as he’d like to keep snapping, you keep him around.

Other Unrestricted Free Agents:

OT Byron Bell, RB Alfred Morris, LB Kyle Wilber, WR Brice Butler, OL Joe Looney, DE Datone Jones, CB Bene Benwikere.

Quick note here: DL David Irving is a Restricted Free Agent.  The Cowboys will place [whatever round tender they deem appropriate] on him and have him for another year, unless a team is willing to part with considerable draft compensation and cut him a very large check that the Cowboys refuse to match.

Draft Primer:

Quarterback – The Cowboys have Dak Prescott and the world hasn’t ended for him as a starting quarterback.  His struggles this season have clearly been a combination of scheme (coaches), the quarterback himself, and the fact that the team is lacking when it comes to explosive playmakers.  I’m no longer sold that he’s a lock to be an elite quarterback for his career, but the Cowboys aren’t yet looking to use an early pick on the position.

Potential Early Pick Position?  No.  (But don’t you worry, Dak haters, I do think it’s worth tracking a year from now, if #4 isn’t closer to 2016 form.)

Running Back – They certainly don’t need to think about taking a running back with either of their first couple of picks.  Ezekiel Elliott is going to get the vast majority of touches anyway.  Alfred Morris is a free agent, Rod Smith showed enough this year to at least be intriguing, and they could use a mid- to late-round pick to add to the group.

Potential Early Pick Position?  No.

Wide Receiver – Now this is where we start having fun.  This group wasn’t good enough this year.  I believe a decent portion of the blame (at least) falls to the coaching staff and to having a group of guys that are pigeonholed into what they do.  Dez Bryant is a unique player who will never be a great route-runner or separation-creator.  Cole Beasley is a nice one-on-one player who isn’t much of a vertical threat.  Terrance Williams is a nice role player with some after-catch ability, but also has his limitations as a downfield guy because his catch radius isn’t very big.

Ryan Switzer provides depth as a slot guy and Noah Brown as an outside guy.  The team has five wide receivers, which is what a lot of teams carry, but I think they need to find another guy.  We’ll get in to scouting reports as we lead up to the draft, but they need a polished route runner who can create separation on his own and/or a legitimate vertical threat.

Potential Early Pick Position?  Yes.

Tight End  – Jason Witten is going to play football until the year 2050 or so, I think.  Regardless, the Cowboys have to start thinking about their tight end future immediately. Witten has become a guy that is still nice in the red zone, but not much of a big play threat or downfield player.  Rico Gathers is a fun project that hopefully can offer some athleticism in 2018, but expectations should be tempered for a guy that still hasn’t played much football.  James Hanna and Geoff Swaim are still under contract also.

Potential Early Pick Position?  Yes.

Offensive Line – Four of the five starting spots are locked in.  Jonathan Cooper is a free agent at left guard and they’ve struggled mightily to find their swing tackle with Chaz Green struggling to stay healthy …and also struggling to play well. Dallas is in the market for a starting left guard (whether it’s the draft, or Cooper returning) and they’re in the market for a swing tackle to back up Tyron Smith and La’el Collins.

Potential Early Pick Position?  Yes.

Defensive End – Demarcus Lawrence will be back.  Tyrone Crawford will be interesting because he makes a lot of money and could be a potential cap casualty.  Taco Charlton took some strides in the final month and will be a part of the plan. They have other names on the roster, but pass rush is ALWAYS something you upgrade if you have a chance.

Potential Early Pick Position?  Yes.

Defensive Tackle – This team has struggled to find a nose tackle and it’s easy to understand why: the coaching staff doesn’t value the position.  They care about the ‘under’ tackle, who they view as an important piece as a pass rusher, but when it comes to the largest human on the defense, they’ve treated it like a spot they can use pull someone off the street to play. That has hurt them.  David Irving will likely be back to play the under tackle role and/or some defensive end.  Maliek Collins played nose tackle a lot in the second half of the season, but Dallas could definitely use help here.

Potential Early Pick Position?  Yes.

Linebacker –  They have Sean Lee… That’s about the end of what we know for sure.  Jaylon Smith showed improvement in the last month of the season, but we saw this season that the Cowboys need to—at least—invest resources in getting better depth at this position.  Sean Lee is going to get banged up, Anthony Hitchens might command more money than they’re willing to pony up and Jaylon Smith as a quality starter is still a  projection and a leap of faith.  The Cowboys need to invest here (though I fear they might not).

Potential Early Pick Position?  Yes.

Safety – They have bodies.  Man, that’s generic, huh?  Byron Jones is an acceptable starter, but has lost a few snaps to Kavon Frazier when they’re looking for a more physical tackler.  Jeff Heath and Xavier Woods are your other guys who get significant playing time.  They aren’t bad at this spot, but… they aren’t great either.

Potential Early Pick Position?  Yes.

Cornerback – Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis look like long-term starters at this spot.  Orlando Scandrick has probably played his last snap as a Cowboy.  Anthony Brown had a regression this year, but I would like to see him bounce back after an offseason to try and find some lost confidence.  Xavier Woods has played a lot of nickel, but much like pass rushers, there’s almost no such thing as too many quality cover guys.

Potential Early Pick Position?  Yes.

Kicker and Punter – Yes, they have guys that play those positions.  Moving on.

If you’ve been taking notes, this team is wide open in terms of what they need (or should take) in the first couple of rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft, which makes it even more fun to prepare for.

I’m excited to get this journey started and hopefully you enjoy reading as we go shopping for future Cowboys in the coming months.