Dallas Cowboys 2018 Positional Breakdown: Linebackers
The Dallas Cowboys’ linebacker corps is one of the most talented in the NFL and compelling this offseason. Let’s breakdown the current depth chart.
From the outside looking in, the Dallas Cowboys linebacker corps is one of the most talented in all of football. At the heart of this defense is linebacker Sean Lee. The unquestioned leader of this unit, the two-time Pro Bowler proved his worth in 2017.
Officially, Lee missed five games last season due to various injuries. Four of those contests resulted in losses. And many consider Lee’s absence the main reason for those defeats. That’s how important the 31-year old is to this Cowboys team.
Beyond Lee, the Cowboys linebacker corps has many questions to answer this offseason. Let’s breakdown this part of the defense and go over the major talking points.
Linebackers
Roster
Sean Lee, LB
Jaylon Smith, LB
Damien Wilson, LB
Tre’Von Johnson, LB
2018 Free Agents
Anthony Hitchens, LB
Kyle Wilber, LB
Breakdown
As stated before, Lee’s presence is the most telling barometer of this group’s efficiency. The Cowboys must make it a priority to find adequate depth in case he is forced to miss more games in the future. Jaylon Smith is the most obvious answer for that issue. But after missing an entire season to rehabbing a devastating knee injury he suffered in college, Smith’s availability is still a concern in 2018.
That leaves us with the biggest question mark in the offseason for this positional group: Will the Cowboys be able to re-sign Anthony Hitchens? The current free agent is vital to this linebacker corps, but outbidding other teams for his services could be problematic. If Dallas is unable to retain Hitchens, the Cowboys may be forced to look to the draft to find a suitable replacement.
Next: 5 Positions the Dallas Cowboys should target
Damien Wilson doesn’t appear to be in the Cowboys future plans, as he’s been far too inconsistent. Although Wilson does have on year left on his current contract. Justin March-Lillard and Tre’Von Johnson will have a chance to impress in the offseason. But I don’t anticipate either being anything beyond training camp bodies.
Finally, Kyle Wilber could easily be re-signed this offseason as the veteran is one of the team’s core special teams contributors as well as an experienced role player that the coaches trust.