Dallas Cowboys OTAs: Four quick thoughts to consider

The Dallas Cowboys are putting their first efforts together through OTAs. The season is still months away, but a lot is going on. Here are four thoughts.

The wheel in Big D is rolling. While the month of May isn’t the time that excites football fans, still, operations for the Dallas Cowboys is swinging.

They say every year is a big year. But, the 2019 campaign has a lot of make or break type feelings for individuals, and certainly for the team itself. The Dallas Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl since the 1995 season, but you didn’t need a reminder.

For 2019, the Cowboys are going all in. Tight end great and a Dallas Cowboys legend, Jason Witten, wouldn’t return to the gridiron if he didn’t think America’s Team was capable of a title run.

With organized team activities in motion, the path to a Super Bowl starts now. Here are four quick thoughts to think about.

1. Jason Garrett’s job security

Love him or hate him, the head coach is on the hot seat. So, what does the coach have to do to keep his job? Some stated that nothing less than a Super Bowl victory or at the very least, a Super Bowl appearance will punch his ticket for 2020 and beyond.

Personally, I think if Jason Garrett guides the team to an NFC Championship appearance, then his employers will be satisfied. If the Cowboys somehow lose a heartbreaker, something like the “no catch” game in 2014 at Lambeau Field, that will all be enough to secure Garrett in Big D. But he must get the Cowboys above the divisional round, something they haven’t done since 1995.

Why? It’s obvious the Dallas Cowboys top brass are sentimental about Garrett. He’s been given plenty of passes in the past; the team even passing up other top coaches over the years to keep him in the house. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones won’t let Garrett walk if he guides the team to the NFC Championship game, at a minimum.

2. Randall Cobb: The art of the slot

Somehow former slot receiver Cole Beasley is making more noise as a non-Dallas Cowboy. Okay, never saw all that negative publicity coming.

Anyways, the guy who replaced him, Randall Cobb, is shaking off the green and yellow colors and settling into Big D. I thought this one-year contract deal was favorable for both parties, and I’m very interested to see how Cobb progresses.

His timing and touches with quarterback Dak Prescott will be a testament to how well new offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, is adjusting. Let’s not forget, the Cowboys are gambling by going young, especially with a coach barely off the playing field and has little coaching experience.

Cobb, I believe, was forgotten in all the Cowboys news over the past months. He may not gather all the touches as he did in Green Bay with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but his experience is vital and I believe that when he does touch the ball, it could potentially change the course of games.

3. Contract galore

The Dallas Cowboys are at the crossroads. While it’s easy to be passive aggressive and leave the work to the contract bosses in Big D, it’s still something to consider. How the organization plans to spread the dollar will have major implications down the road.

While contracts for Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott, and Byron Jones are still in consideration, no other contract talk is gaining more passion than that of Dak Prescott. How well the Cowboys pay him will slice and dice the dollar for others.

Simply put, how the deal swings will have a major impact for years to come. The Cowboys believe number four is the franchise man. Will he repay Big D with that type of play?

4. Super Bowl DNA

Do the Dallas Cowboys have enough talent to make a Super Bowl run? Did they do enough in the offseason to gather the right components to operate in the big dance?

The biggest question I have is the front line on the defensive side. Can the Cowboys generate enough quarterback pressure? More importantly, can the defense generate sacks and turnovers, a recipe the team has been chasing for years but can’t seem to cook?

The Dallas Cowboys are young and talented on defense. They earned special recognition in 2018, which was deserving. But can they excel to the next round and level up? If the Dallas Cowboys can attack up the middle with fury, then I believe the team is Super Bowl material.

But until then, all the talented operations around the defensive back and the linebacker core won’t mean much. The ‘Boys need pressure up the middle, a weakness that needs to be solved for the team to win brilliantly in 2019.