Two big concerns that Dallas Cowboys training camp can’t resolve

Every August, the Dallas Cowboys rely on training camp to solve roster concerns. There are a few questions the 2019 camp just can’t answer.

There’s no doubt this installment of Dallas Cowboys training camp will be rarer than most. The team will start off with fewer glaring holes than recent memory.

Both sides of the ball have plenty of capable talent. No position group is concerning enough to be viewed as a detrimental weak link. The best part of it all is even the depth battles will be loaded with exciting talent and hunger. Prepare for war.

While many of the roster questions will be answered in August, there are still a few concerns this camp can’t resolve. Or better put, there are a few players in which camp simply can’t inspire confidence in fans that a major issue won’t arise in season.

THE KICKER IS WHAT HE IS

This is no knock on starting kicker Brett Maher, but he’s proven to be exactly the player Dallas signed in 2018. After four years in the Canadian Football League, Maher made 78.1% of his career field goal attempts.

After a subpar rookie year in the CFL, his final two seasons were identical in accuracy.  41 of 50 (82%) on field goals each season, with a long of 58. Even at Nebraska he had a career average of 78%, with one season at 83%.

The Cowboys assumed they were signing roughly an 80-82% kicker with a big leg. Maher performed in line with expectations last season. He made 81% of his attempts and had a booming long of 61. He was exactly what his past said he was.

While good enough last season, how will 80-82% fare against the most difficult schedule in the NFC East and four games against division champions? Seven untimely misses this year (25th in accuracy) could gravely dent the record.

BAD BACK TO THE FUTURE

Left tackle Tyron Smith again declined surgery to address his back issue. At his age it’s probably the right choice. Yet from someone with a bulging disc, I assure it won’t disappear with rehab, stretching, or core training.

The pain may temporarily subside and seem fine, but start squatting or dead lifting heavy weight again and you’ll be back where you started in no time. Those lifts are exactly the type of bent over force trauma a lineman endures that pressures the disc.

There is no way around it, but Smith will be a concern for the rest of his career. He’s missed multiple games in each of the last three seasons, but never more than three. And to his credit he still played at a high level dealing with the injuries last season.

Resting often in camp and sitting out preseason games is all well and good. Yet there will come a time when Smith’s injuries flare back up during the season. Hopefully the damage will limit to only a few starts or less, and Cam Fleming can handle the slack.