Dallas Cowboys: Prepping for the future
An ESPN article wrongly claims the Dallas Cowboys will be in the basement of the NFC East for the next three years.
Greetings Cowboy Nation! We’ve had a rough patch in Dallas, so I’ll start with a little comedy relief. A recent article on ESPN.com by John Keim stated that the Washington Redskins were ranked “by experts” to be tops of the NFC East for the next three years! Louis Riddick, Mike Sando and Field Yates ranked the Redskins (24th), New York Giants (16th), Philadelphia Eagles (24th) and our Cowboys (26th).
Thanks to fantasy football, I’m not a fan of player projections. However, I’m a fan of younger, stronger and faster players on our roster. I can live with growing pains as players gain on the field experience. The Keim article claims a teams most important positions are: quarterback, tackle, receiver, defensive end / outside linebacker and corner. What!! No tight end or running back?
At quarterback, that’s locked down with Tony Romo. Like Ricky Bobby said, “No one lives forever, no one. But with advances in modern science and his high level income, it’s not crazy to think Romo can live to be 245, maybe 300 years old.”
If Romo, 36, decides to retire with just one Super Bowl ring after this season. We’re going to be quite comfortable if either Dak Prescott (22) or Kellen Moore (27) takes the helm. The Cowboys have a limited time to see how Prescott will develop. Our high number of undrafted players reveal that head coach Jason Garrett loves training camp competitions – so may the best man win. Either way, I would put everyone over Kirk Cousins. You like that?
Tackle – Seriously? Tyron Smith is only 25 years old. If there’s a player deeper on the depth chart that intrigues me, it’s Bryan Witzmann at 26. Witzmann stands 6′ 7” and 311 pounds – with that combination, if he can put on a uniform, he’s going on the field! I wouldn’t care if he is the fullback in a goal line package.
Receiver – Dez Bryant (27) will be under contract for the next three years. Even if he loses a step, the Cowboys currently have 11 receivers on the roster and 9 of them are 26 years old or younger.
Defensive End / Outside Linebacker – This category should get split up but let’s start with Sean Lee (29) at the outside linebacker spot. Our future looks bright with a possible linebacker combination of Damien Wilson (23), Mark Nzeocha (26), Anthony Hitchens (24) and if the gamble pays off – Jaylen Smith (21).
Our defensive ends could be a force to be reckoned with – once they manage to clean up their off-season issues. Randy Gregory (23) and DeMarcus Lawrence (24) are both second round draft picks. With production from Ryan Russell (24), Charles Tapper (23) and our newest addition Benson Mayowa (24), I believe our pass rush will be more relentless than Liam Neeson in the Taken movie series.
Cornerback – I may have to concede ground on this position. If shut down cornerbacks exist, we don’t have him on our roster. We have two aging projected starters in Brandon Carr (30) and Orlando Scandrick (29). The depth chart behind them isn’t awe inspiring just yet. I would like to see Deji Olatoye (24) get more playing time this preseason.
Next: A Full Breakdown of the Dallas Cowboys Wide Receivers
I’m a card carrying member of Cowboy Nation, but any football fan would agree that the Cowboys have sealed up five of the six positions compared to the Redskins – on paper. If we can improve our cornerback position, we’ll continue owning our NFC East opponents and add a Lombardi trophy in the process.
#GoCowboys
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