Ranking the Dallas Cowboys best players in 2018: 34-26

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.

Welcome to the third installment of a series ranking the best players, from bottom to top, of the Dallas Cowboys.

Players 53-35 have already been unveiled. As we move up the ranks, we now start to see guys on the borderline of being starters. This is the group of guys who the Cowboys will certainly rely upon to play well. Some may see limited action, others more frequent reps.

One thing is certain, the names in this range pique interest in many different ways. Without any further ado, let’s get to the list.

34. Deonte Thompson
33. Jihad Ward
32. Kony Ealy
31. Michael Gallup
30. Terrance Williams
29. Kavon Frazier
28. Anthony Brown
27. Taco Charlton
26. Xavier Woods

As is seemingly always the case with the Dallas Cowboys, the churn of the roster is evident once more. Four of these players were not on the team last season. In fact, only Williams has been on this team for more than three seasons.

Youth is being served here as well as only Ealy, Thompson and Williams are over the age of 25.

Another intriguing aspect of this grouping is the position battles they will face.

No one has any clue what will come from the training camp shakedown at wide receiver or defensive line. Will Thompson or Williams even be on the team? Could Gallup earn a starting spot as a rookie? In my opinion, only Gallup, Allen Hurns, and Cole Beasley are locks to hit the road to Carolina in week one.

As for the defensive line, I count 11 players with a real shot at the team. The Cowboys will not have 11 defensive linemen, however.

Charlton, the clear “winner” of the most fan ire on the defensive side of the ball in 2017, should improve on his three sacks. Could he double that total? It will most likely depend on how many snaps he sees as last year, he only participated in 38%.

Ward has been one of the biggest stories of OTA’s. Acquiring him in a trade from Oakland, Ward will immediately have a shot to make the team. That is in large part due to yet another four-game suspension for incumbent starter David Irving.

Ealy could either be the odd man out or a veteran presence that keeps a younger guy like Charlton from more reps. Ealy has shown flashes in his career but he could be at a crossroads as he has not lived up to top 60 draft status.

Lastly, we start to see the young guns in the secondary. Each of these three brings a different skill set. Frazier is the big hitting safety. Brown is most adept at covering speedy receivers while Woods is a Swiss Army knife type.

Next: 30 greatest players in Cowboys history

With Byron Jones moving to corner, it will be interesting to see how much that cuts into Brown and Woods time at the position. Personally, I would love to see Woods start at safety, especially if a deal for Seahawks safety Earl Thomas never materializes.

So, there you have it. Dallas Cowboys 53-26 have been revealed. Check in Tuesday morning as we reveal players 25-11.