The Dallas Cowboys love building through the draft. It’s that philosophy that’s seen them be so reluctant to spend big in free agency over the years. More often than not, they’re used as leverage by in-demand players to get a bigger contract. In trade scenarios, they’re linked with players so as to boost their trade value.
It’s a tradition like no other.
Of course, the Cowboys would be more willing to splurge in free agency if they didn’t back themselves into handing out awful contracts to … homegrown players, with Ezekiel Elliott’s $90 million deal being a prime example.
Thanks to those miscues, there are several roles on the roster that are far from settled with OTAs getting underway this week. In other words, Dallas’ 2022 draft class should be given every chance to prove they’re worthy of a starting role.
That could spell trouble for some projected starters, so let’s highlight some Cowboys who are in danger of losing their starting jobs to a rookie.
These 3 Cowboys could lose their starting job to a rookie
3. Connor McGovern
The minute Connor Williams signed with the Dolphins in free agency, McGovern became the de facto starting left guard. Assuming the Cowboys run a meritocracy, that likely didn’t change following the selection of Tyler Smith in Round 1.
Drafted as Tyron Smith’s potential successor, Smith is likely to begin his pro career as a guard as he adjusts to the speed of the NFL. With Zack Martin penciled in at right guard, the Tulsa product has a clear path to a starting role at LG if he impresses during training camp and the preseason.
That could mean supplanting McGovern, who started six games and played 500 snaps last season amid Williams’ penalty woes. Given his NFL experience and familiarity with Kellen Moore’s system, it’ll be McGovern’s job to lose.
The Cowboys won’t force Smith, who’s widely viewed as a developmental project, into a starting role right away, but the left guard spot is begging the No. 24 overall pick to make it his own. We’ll know soon enough if he’s up to the challenge.
2. Carlos Watkins
Watkins started 14 games for the Cowboys last campaign, but he only played 43 percent of the snaps given the emergence of rookie Osa Odighizuwa and Neville Gallimore, who returned from injury for the final five games of the year.
It’s unclear how the defensive tackle rotation will shake out this offseason, but Watkins’ starting job is no longer secure following the selection of Arkansas space-eater John Ridgeway in the fifth round. While Ridgeway could lose snaps on passing downs, the 6-foot-5, 321-pound behemoth is a prototypical nose tackle who could force his way into the starting lineup given how disruptive he is against the run.
Simply put, the former Razorback is a bully who refuses to give up ground in the trenches and will force opposing ball-carriers to bounce outside … where the likes of Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dante Fowler and Jayron Kearse, when he’s lined up in the box, will be waiting to pounce.
This isn’t to say Watkins will completely lose his spot in the rotation, but the upside Ridgeway offers as a run defender might be too intriguing to pass up for Dan Quinn after Dallas allowed 112.8 rushing yards per game in 2021.
1. Noah Brown/James Washington
Brown soared up the Cowboys’ WR pecking order after Amari Cooper got traded. With Michael Gallup recovering from a torn ACL and a long shot to be cleared for training camp, Brown was No. 2 on the depth chart for multiple weeks. Then, Dallas signed James Washington in free agency, which likely demoted Brown to his familiar slot role as the third receiver behind Lamb and Washington.
Following the selection of South Alabama star Jalen Tolbert in the third round, however, Brown and Washington are now in jeopardy of losing their starting jobs. While the WR3 role is (temporarily) up for grabs while Gallup works his way back, Brown and Washington will be WR4 and 5 when Dallas is back to full strength.
The general consensus is Tolbert will have the biggest role of the Cowboys’ rookie class, including Smith and second-rounder Sam Williams, who faces an uphill climb to earn snaps given the team’s assortment of edge rushers.
Tolbert already impressed the coaching staff at rookie camp and he could very well open his rookie campaign as Dak Prescott’s No. 3 target behind CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz if everything goes according to plan. Even if Gallup is back, Tolbert should be ahead of Washington and Brown on the depth chart.
PFF names this Cowboys rookie as NFC breakout candidate
Pro Football Focus named Cowboys third-round rookie Jalen Tolbert as one of six breakout candidates in the NFC next season.