Dallas Cowboys situation along both fronts highlight NFL duality

The Dallas Cowboys are fortifying from the interior out defensively, while the offensive front staggers. The duality of it all is astonishing to witness.

The Dallas Cowboys got off to a sluggish start in the NFL’s legal tampering period, but they quickly found their footing and began to catch up. While their sleight of moves was highlighted by getting their own guy in wide receiver Amari Cooper locked into a long-term deal, it was still encouraging to see any movement at all from our favorite NFL football team.

More encouraging news has begun to pour out of the Dallas Cowboys camp since it all began as well. While they weren’t able to agree on a long term deal initially for quarterback Dak Prescott before the deadline to place NFL salary tags, thus resulting in the signal-caller being franchised tag, reports have seemed to indicate that there is reason for optimism on further talks of a long-term deal.

Speaking of reports though, there are two at the top of mind that are actually the subjects of our meeting today. The first report revolves around what could be another huge addition, while the second report, unfortunately, tells of a massive subtraction.

In addition to the perfect signing that was defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, it appears the Cowboys will be reportedly adding another beastly defender to that defensive front in Dontari Poe. When motivated, Poe can also be the same type of dual-natured beast that McCoy is, someone capable of playing the run while he pursues the quarterback.

This is only a small victory for the Cowboys though when considering the news recently reported about whom they’ve lost on the opposite front. According to reports, star center Travis Frederick is set to retire, which is a massive blow to the offensive line, the entire offensive unit, and the team as a whole.

While they did get the returning center Joe Looney signed to a new deal on last week, the guy who played every game in Frederick’s place during the 2018 season he missed dealing with Guillain-Barre syndrome, losing him is still a blow. We should also take a bit of solace in the fact that they got another utility lineman in Adam Redmond signed as well, while Connor Williams should be looking to make his return from injury.

However, the blow that is losing Frederick only further emphasizes a lack of depth as they’ve still lost more than they’ve signed there. They lost offensive tackle Cameron Fleming to in-division rivals, the New York Giants, while valued replacement Xavier Su’a-filo is now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Listen, the Dallas Cowboys have been able to successfully plug and play over the last few years with all areas of the team. It was this same team that brought in Robert Quinn on last season, who turned out to be the best pass rusher on the team and Michael Bennett, who probably laid the foundation for the idea to go out chasing Poe and McCoy with his ability to generate a pass rush up the middle.

You also have to give credit to the Cowboys for being able to initially build the unit that included Frederick along the offensive front, the unit that owner Jerry Jones says he believes is “one of the most talented and skilled NFL offensive lines that has been assembled”. So, although it is a tough pill to swallow, it is something that this team can and has shown that they can overcome and come back from.

While the addition of Poe is amazing, the loss of Frederick is again, a tough pill to swallow and especially with the amount of good football he potentially had left. This however, is unfortunately the most perfect example of the yin and yang of the NFL.