Cowboys definitely regret letting promising 2023 UDFA get away

Injuries take their toll on every NFL team. Oftentimes, some of the final teams left standing in late January are not the cream of the crop, but rather the healthiest of the bunch. Health notwithstanding, the Dallas Cowboys have not been able to exorcise their playoff demons.

It's looking dicey that Dallas will accomplish that this season following the injuries to Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Even though Parsons is considered week-to-week, not many teams would be able to overcome injuries to their top two edge defenders.

That alone is brutal, but Parsons and Lawrence are arguably two of the top three or four defensive players on the roster. Not to dump salt into a flesh wound, but the Cowboys are actually down their top three EDGE's.

Third-year pro Sam Williams suffered a torn ACL and MCL in training camp. This would have been a huge opportunity for Williams to prove himself before a contract year in 2025. There's nothing that Dallas could have done about that, but they could have an extra pass rusher at their disposal had they been more diligent during roster cuts last year.

Cowboys would love to have DE Isaiah Land right about now

There is no way the Cowboys could have seen this injury crisis coming. They were stacked at defensive end last year as well. Between Parsons, Lawrence, Williams, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler and Chauncey Golston, who played occasionally on the edge, Isaiah Land did not have a feasible path to playing time.

At the same time, though, it's fair to question Dallas' lack of foresight. Multiple Cowboys beat reporters projected Land to make the team last year. Given his production at Florida A&M, he was one of the most coveted undrafted rookies in 2023. Teams generally go out of their way to keep exciting development rookies to avoid losing them to the waiver wire. It's no surprise the Colts were quick to snatch Land.

Losing Land wasn't the end of the world (and still isn't), but could he have made the team over the likes of Deuce Vaughn, Eric Scott Jr. and Neville Gallmore? Absolutely. It is obviously easy to say that in hindsight, but Vaughn, Scott and Gallimore hardly contributed last year. You're telling us one of them couldn't have been cut in the name of stashing Land?

It's not like Land has set the world on fire in Indianapolis. He had one sack in 31 snaps as a rookie and made his first career start in Sunday's win over the Steelers with Kwity Paye out injured and sacked Justin Fields.

Having said that, the Cowboys would feel a lot better about their pass-rushing conundrum if they had Land to elevate from the practice squad. It didn't feel like a big loss at the time, but it looms large with Dallas having to search far and wide to overcome their current injury crisis.

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