Cowboys Free Agency: Prioritizing positions of need in 2023 class

The Dallas Cowboys got some good news this week with the announcement that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will return to the fold after interviewing with multiple teams for a head coach position.

Now, it remains to be seen what will happen with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. But the main focus of this Cowboys front office must now become how to build on the past two seasons. That process now begins with analyzing the roster and finding the holes that need to be filled for the 2023 season.

The first order of business will be determining how they will fill those holes, they will have to spend money this offseason, but will the majority of it be on their own free agents or players they want to bring in from outside the organizations?

If I were a betting man, I believe that we are going to see a change in philosophy, and owner Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones are going to look to infuse new blood into this locker room that will help both the offense and defense. We have a feeling which players currently in the locker room they’d like to bring back so let us focus on positions on offense and defense by taking a look at the positions of need and prioritizing them and who some players might be.

Offensive Positions of Need

Priority Level High: Wide Receiver

Priority Level Medium: Guard, Running Back

Wide Receiver

This Cowboys offense is in need of some playmakers on the outside to help take the pressure off of quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. The players they currently have on the roster just aren’t cutting it and after seeing the results that came from moving on from receiver Amari Cooper and paying receiver Michael Gallup who was coming off a torn ACL the Cowboys are going to need to look outside of the organization for help. There’s a chance that Gallup will be able to regain some of his playmaking ability but they can’t rely on that this time around.

We saw Cowboys owner Jerry Jones flirting with the idea of bringing in Odell Beckham Jr. for a playoff run but that never panned out. Maybe he takes another shot at Beckham or goes after a few of these free agents to help an offense that continues to falter at the end of the season.

Possible Options: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Darius Slayton

Offensive Guard

The Cowboys really do like Connor McGovern and would really like for him to stay but that might not be the case much like last offseason when Connor Williams left for Miami. They also have Matt Farniok on the depth chart but he hasn’t worked out so far for them, that could be because of game time reps or just not strong enough at the point of attack. Either way, the Cowboys are going to be in the market for a guard and could go for a rookie in the draft but if the front office still feels as though they are in a win-now mentality they may have to look at the free agent market for immediate results.

After Dallas decided not to renew offensive line coach Joe Philbins’ contract things are a bit up in the air but that shouldn’t stop them from exploring the market in order to find another bully upfront that can help protect Prescott and add more push in the running game.

Possible Options: Nate Davis, Dalton Risner

Running Back

Dallas is going to do everything it can to keep Tony Pollard so as far as his status with the team goes, he’s staying. The question at this position really becomes what to do with Ezekiel Elliott whose clearly not the same running back he was a few seasons ago. They could release him or get him to take less money in order to stay but this team can’t wait until his production completely falls off a cliff. We know the Cowboys like what they see out of rookie Malik Davis but I don’t believe Dallas does either is going to sit on their hands and will make a move to improve at this position.

The draft has a few running backs that would fit in quite well with the Cowboys but there are some good ones in free agency that can come in and get the job done as well. Players that already know how to pass protect and have acclimated to the speed of the game.

Possible Options: Benny Snell Jr., Justice Hill

Defensive Positions of Need

Priority Level High: Cornerback, Defensive Tackle

Priority Level Medium: Safety, Linebacker

Cornerback

The loss of Anthony Brown this season shined a light on the Cowboys’ deficiencies at cornerback, a team needs three quality cornerbacks in this league to slow or even stop an effective passing game. The Cowboys as they sit right now have two with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland but they need more help on the perimeter in order to move Bland back into the slot. The Cowboys tried to find help in the draft and ended up with Kelvin Joseph in the second round, and that has been a disaster.

With that recent failure on their minds, they might look outside and if they aren’t able to keep Anthony Brown whose also a free agent they are going to need a backup plan. Someone with experience who isn’t afraid to step up and make plays in the running game.

Possible Options: Jalen Tabor, Artie Burns

Defensive Tackle

The Cowboys finally made an effort to add size at the defensive tackle position by trading for Johnathan Hankins mid-season and it had an immediate effect on the opposing teams running game. Unfortunately, Hankins is now a free agent and someone the Cowboys would really like to bring back but that shouldn’t limit them from seeing who else is out on the market worth signing. They aren’t going to break the bank trying to find someone but they may be able to get someone on a cheap deal.

Someone who can be just as effective as Hankins, someone who can take on double teams allowing linebackers to stay clean in pursuit of the running back. If they can find someone else along with bringing back Hankins this could be a very tough defense to beat next season.

Possible Options: Carl Davis, Dalvin Tomlinson

Safety

The Cowboys will still have Jaryon Kearse and Malik Hooker on the roster for the 2023 season but Donovan Wilson is about to be a free agent and the Cowboys are going to be looking for someone that can come in and replace Kearse if he were to ever go down with an injury like he did this season. The Cowboys have a young crop of safeties but it would be nice to see them add another savvy veteran. We know this team doesn’t like to draft safeties so we can only assume they will look to add on who can play special teams and backup Kearse or Hooker if needed.

I believe they will give this young group every opportunity to make this roster but if they see any situations where they are unsure of the talent they have they need to have a contingency plan in place and signing someone makes sense in this instance.

Possible Options: Marcus Epps, Karl Joseph

Linebacker

Much like their safety situation, the Cowboys have a young group that they really like but some of those players have dealt with injuries during their time in Dallas. They also have the best run-stopping linebacker Leighton Vander Esch hitting the open market once again this season and after a strong season, it will be a bit tougher to get him back unless he takes a team-friendly deal. This puts Dallas in another situation where finding someone who’s strong in the run game to come here in free agency if a deal can’t be worked out with Vander Esch.

The person should also be able to drop back into zone coverage and not be a liability on defense. There are quite a few good linebackers about to hit the open market and the Cowboys have an opportunity to get one if they don’t get Vander Esch.

Possible Options: Kwon Alexander, Deion Jones

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