Dallas Cowboys: Building a team with quality depth

 Injuries are a certainty in a 16-game season and the Dallas Cowboys may have finally built a team with quality depth at several positions.

The Dallas Cowboys were disappointing in 2017. Their losses can be blamed on a lot of things, but injuries and an unfortunate suspension were the Cowboys Achilles’ heel. Not having backups that could make a real impact didn’t help matters either (lookin’ at you Chaz Green).

The Cowboys may have eliminated that issue this season because, for the first time in a long time, the ‘Boys have quality depth at key positions. This year, when the injuries do come, and they always do, the Cowboys should be better prepared.

A perfect example is the impact of linebacker Sean Lee. When Lee plays, the Cowboys are a better football team and it shows in the numbers. The Cowboys were 9-2 in the games he played and 0-5 when he was out.

As the “quarterback” of the defense, Lee lines everyone up and diagnoses the play in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, Lee has been injury prone and the Cowboys are hoping they’ve found suitable backups in Jaylon Smith and newcomer Leighton Vander Esch.

Smith has shed his knee brace and the word from training camp is he’s back to pre-injury form. He could be a real showstopper as long as he continues to improve. The Cowboys also spent their first-round pick in this year’s draft on Leighton Vander Esch, the uber-talented linebacker from Boise State. With these two waiting in the wings, Cowboys fans can breathe a little easier in the event Sean Lee goes down.

Tyron Smith, the all-world left tackle, was sorely missed when he went down with a back injury. Smith keeps a clean pocket for Dak and opens up the running lanes for Zeke. The Cowboys lost both games he missed Atlanta in Week 9 and Philadelphia in Week 10. Dak was sacked eight times under “protection” from Chaz Green in the Atlanta game.

The Boys signed Cameron Fleming, a six-game starter for the Patriots to be the swing tackle. If Tyrone has to miss time Fleming could provide some quality snaps. Conner Williams also played some tackle in college and if the line had to reshuffle, he could be used in a pinch.

The final straw for the Cowboys last season was the six-game suspension of Ezekiel Elliott. It was an exhausting back and forth battle between Elliott and the NFL that surely played a role physically and emotionally on the whole team.

Backup Rod Smith played well in limited action and he proved to be a good runner and receiver out of the backfield. The Cowboys also drafted Bo Scarbrough, a hammering back from Alabama that could be a good fit behind this talented offensive line.

The receiving corps lost wide receiver Dez Bryant but brought in Allen Hurns and rookie Michael Gallup. Although Tavon Austin is currently playing at wide receiver, he’s also played running back in the past and gives the Cowboys depth at both positions.

The defensive line has a quality rotation and added defensive tackle Jihad Ward and defensive end Kony Ealy. With Randy Gregory posied for a comeback and draft pick Dorance Armstrong joining the mix, the defensive line looks deeper than we have seen a long time.

The Dallas Cowboys have plenty of depth on the roster to fill out the best 53-man squad for gameday and not go into panic mode if someone goes down. If the Philadelphia Eagles can win a Super Bowl without key players like Carson Wentz and Jason Peters, the Cowboys should be able to stay alive if key players get hurt. We certainly hope Sean Lee, Tyrone Smith, and Ezekiel Elliott will play the entire season, but if and when injuries do occur, this deep Cowboys team should be better prepared.