Dallas Cowboys: The most impactful newcomer in 2020

The Dallas Cowboys have a room full of new faces on the 2020 roster, but who will provide the biggest impact this season?

The Dallas Cowboys have done their due diligence during the 2020 NFL Draft and free agency period. They acquired several talented players such as first-round pick wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, second-round pick cornerback Trevon Diggs, defensive tackle Dontari Poe, and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

With the make-up of this year’s Cowboys team, multiple candidates can grab the recognition for the most impactful newcomer, including the ones listed above. However, for argument sake, we can only pick one.

Dark Horses

My top two dark horses come from the defensive line. Defensive end Aldon Smith and defensive tackle Dontari Poe. Both players have a low risk, high reward type of upside under team-friendly contracts.

I love the idea that the Cowboys front office took a chance on both of these players. Smith hasn’t played a full football season since 2012, but if he can manage to get anywhere near his all-pro ability then opposing offenses are in for a rude awakening with the combination of him and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence.

Poe is an interesting choice, but again he’s my dark horse. You won’t see big-time stats from him, but you will see on the tape that he puts himself in the right position, anchors down, absorbs blocks, and is an upgrade at the 1-tech.

If we see linebackers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch making plays unblocked, we can thank Poe for his services. Again, not a flashy player with huge stats, but that’s not his role. The tape will tell all for him.