Dallas Cowboys: 3 biggest team needs following the draft
The Dallas Cowboys still have some questions to answer at certain key positions following the draft. Here are the team’s three biggest remaining roster needs.
Coming into this offseason, the Dallas Cowboys had several needs to fill in an effort to duplicate the success they had in 2018 … and to build on it. After a very active free agency period and following the results of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Cowboys’ roster is now stocked with new faces.
But there are still some unanswered questions and positional weaknesses to address prior to the start of training camp. Here are the Cowboys’ three biggest roster needs that still remain following the draft.
Quarterback
The Cowboys failed to address this need at all during free agency or the draft. At this point, if the team loses starting quarterback Dak Prescott, the season is effectively over. It’s unlikely backups Cooper Rush and Mike White both earn spots on the active roster this year. And neither has any real NFL regular season experience. I would not be surprised if the Cowboys brought in a veteran to compete with Cooper and White, both of which failed to impress last preseason.
Safety
Head coach Jason Garrett talked about how rookies like Penn State offensive lineman Connor McGovern and Ohio State running back Mike Weber were blinking lights on their draft board due to their ranking and value.
Well, the safety position was the blinking light of team needs. Yet, the Cowboys all but chose to ignore it. Sure, the team added veteran George Iloka in free agency and rookie Donovan Wilson out of Texas A&M in the sixth round. But neither are viewed as significant improvements over the players currently occupying their roster.
It’s clear defensive backs’ coach and passing game coordinator Kris Richard believes he can win with the existing depth chart in Dallas. And after seeing how Richard was able turnaround the career of cornerback Byron Jones, making him a Pro Bowler last season, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt.
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Kicker
The Cowboys replaced the best kicker in franchise history (Dan Bailey) with a 28-year old rookie from the CFL in Brett Maher who posted the 25th best field goal percentage in the NFL last year. Like Dallas did with Bailey last offseason, the team must find a legitimate contender to compete against Maher for the starting role this summer.