Dallas Cowboys: Most underrated and overrated player

Which Dallas Cowboys player is getting to much love and which player isn’t getting enough?

The Dallas Cowboys have a long list of Hall of Famers, pro bowlers, and Super Bowl champions because as we all know, America’s Team is one of the most historic franchises not only in football but in sports history.

However, let’s take a look at today’s current roster and my debate for you is which current Cowboys player is seen as the most underrated on the roster? Someone who doesn’t get enough praise and spotlight and which player on the roster is the most overrated player? Someone who gets a little bit more credit than he deserves.

For me, I could have chosen a few as the most underrated players on the Dallas roster. My immediate thought was cornerback Jourdan Lewis or wide receiver Michael Gallup.

When taking a look at the most overrated player my instincts went towards wide receiver Amari Cooper, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence or even left tackle Tyron Smith. But, these became quick honorable mentions on my list. With that being said, I narrowed my most overrated and underrated players on the Cowboys roster to two players.

Who is the Dallas Cowboys most underrated player?

As I sat back and observed the roster I took into account a player that has done his job fairly well, is soft-spoken, isn’t necessarily in the media a lot and of course, doesn’t get enough credit he deserves. And this player primarily doesn’t get that credit due to his supporting cast.

The most underrated player on the Cowboys current roster is right tackle La’el Collins. Collins was arguably one of the best offensive linemen last season. Pro Football Focus had him ranked as the fifth-best offensive tackle last season.

Although Tyron Smith’s production has dipped just a bit, you can say that Collins outplayed him last season. He only gave up 26 pressures the entire season and he saw relatively decent edge rushers such as Washington’s Ryan Kerrigan, Chicago’s Khalil Mack, New Orleans’ Cameron Jordan, Minnesota’s Danielle Hunter, and Green Bay’s Preston Smith, just to name a few.

We always understood Collins was an elite run blocker, but he showed off his hard work and craft in becoming a better pass blocker this past year and the numbers speak for themselves. How he didn’t earn a Pro Bowl bid is beyond, but again I feel as if that is just a popularity contest. Which shows he also even more underrated across the league’s eyes.

If it wasn’t for the dominant Cowboys offensive line in tackle Tyron Smith, guard Zack Martin and former Dallas center Travis Frederick maybe Collins would get more credit, but as of now, he doesn’t get the love he deserves for his play on Sunday’s.

Who is the Dallas Cowboys most overrated player?

A player who is talked about very often, was a spectacular college player, has one good year, and follows up with a below-average year and for me celebrates way too much on the field. The most overrated player on the Cowboys roster is linebacker Jaylon Smith.

This has nothing to do with Smith as a player, off the field he is one who gives back the most to his community and consistently is doing the right thing. He has a great story, overcoming a devastating knee injury and his commitment to rehab was unmatched. However, this past year his on-field performance wasn’t great.

I think as fans we saw a pretty dominant 2018 campaign in which he had 121 tackles and four sacks and we didn’t see that duplication last season especially when the defense lost linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. Smith had high expectations to be able to fill that void, which is why the Boys decided to give him a nice contract extension.

However, he simply never delivered. Most games he was completely missing and provided zero spark for a defense that desperately needed it. Hopefully, during the 2020 season, Smith has a bounce-back year with teammate Vander Esch back in the lineup. I’d like to see him do a little bit less celebrating, get back to the basics and become a dominant player like the franchise knows he can be.