Ranking the Dallas Cowboys best players from 53-47

After watching the NFL Network conclude their top 100 players list from the 2017 season, I decided to rank the 53 best Dallas Cowboys from bottom to top.

Recently, the NFL Network concluded their annual charade of naming the league’s top 100 players from last season.

I’m not going to get terribly deep into the silliness of how they choose the players and rank them. One look at the list exposes its fraudulence on its own. Three specific points stand out more than any others, however.

• Somehow, Travis Frederick is not one of the best 100 players in the National Football League. In fact, no centers at all made the list. That’s a fairly glaring omission on its own.

• Ezekiel Elliott is apparently the 54th best player in the NFL based on 2017. Last year he was in the top 10 in rushing yards and top 11 in rushing touchdowns. This was despite the fact that he only played in 10 games. Had he played in all 16 games, using his yards per carry, he would have won the rushing title by 250 yards.

• DeMarcus Lawrence came in at number 34. Six defensive ends rank higher than him according to this list. Never mind that Lawrence tied for second with the most sacks in the league (14.5) and tied for third with the most forced fumbles (4.5).

No matter. The whole exercise got me thinking about how I would rank the Dallas Cowboys current roster. Clearly, there are not 100 players from which to choose so I will reduce the number down to 53.

While that number was chosen specifically because that is how many players will make the team, this is NOT a guess at who I think will be the final 53.

Today, we will start from the bottom, naming players 53-47. This first list includes two players who will likely compete for a spot in which no one wants them to actually play.

53. Joe Looney
52. Dorance Armstrong, Jr.
51. Mike White
50. Cooper Rush
49. Bo Scarbrough
48. Rico Gathers
47. Marcus Martin

One hit away. That’s all that keeps the Dallas Cowboys from trotting out White or Rush as the main guy at the most important position. It remains to be seen if they have a specific veteran on standby, waiting by the bat phone or if this is truly the plan.

Regardless, White and Rush will compete for, at the very least, a roster spot this summer.

Rush is the incumbent and put together a slight resemblance to a preseason performance to that of a young Tony Romo. Completing over 74% of his passes while throwing six touchdowns and no interceptions, Rush made Kellen Moore a de facto coach. Can his ascension continue?

This year, he’ll have to beat our White, a late fifth round selection in this year’s draft. White is more of a project type with all the requisite tools one would want in a prototypical quarterback.

At 6’5” and 225 pounds, White checks the boxes, so to speak with his size. Coming from a baseball pedigree, he has the live arm every evaluator covets as well. The issues with him stem from decline in performance from junior to senior year at Western Kentucky.

His yards and touchdowns were down, while his interceptions increased a tick. Couple that with a need to be better at blitz recognition and faster decision making and it’s hard to see him ready to play in year one.

Beyond the quarterbacks, two other rookies make their debut. Depending on his ability to play special teams, it may be that Scarbrough makes the 53, but never the active 46.

As for Armstrong, his camp will be one of the more intriguing ones to watch. By my unofficial count, there are ten defensive linemen with a real shot at making the team. That is without accounting for Armstrong. Do the Cowboys carry ten? Can he beat out a couple of veterans and make it a moot point?

We’ll know in two months’ time.

The last intriguing name on this list is that of Gathers. A lot of fans think he should be the starting tight end. Rumblings from insiders around the coaches wonder if he’ll even make the roster. That’s quite a spacious gap between ceiling and floor.

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Personally, I see him as a raw talent who may never be 1/10th the blocker Jason Witten was, but could blossom into a matchup nightmare in the passing game. Will we get the chance to find out? My gut says yes, but maybe just not in a Cowboys uniform.

Hopefully that is not the case.

Check back in on Tuesday for players 46-41.