THE NEW ERA IN BIG D
| Jason Garrett (left) & Dak Prescott (right) during mini camp at The Star Facility in Frisco, Texas |
It's been a little while friends, but I am excited to be back and following the 2018 Dallas Cowboys and weekly NFL games. There has been a lot of change on this roster the last couple seasons and there are many new faces at camp. Today, we will be looking at some of the strengths and weaknesses for this young roster. We will be touching on the offensive side today. Just to put into perspective of how much this roster has changed, here's a pic for you from three and a half years ago in the 2014 playoffs.
left to right-dez bryant/tony romo/ jason witten/ demarco murray
following the 2014 NFC wild card game at At&t Stadium in
Arlington, Texas.
When I look at the picture above, I see leadership. Dallas has lost many leaders in the locker room the last few years. Some of these young guys are going to have to take on that leader role this season and I think Dak Prescott has to be one of them. Sean Lee is for sure that guy on the defense, but Dak has to be the GUY this year. While Prescott is entering his third season, he will be part of the third youngest projected starting unit, in the NFL. The young starting QB has to lead the way this year. Lets jump into some of the strengths of this team first.
The Offensive Line-Strength
Tyron Smith 77, Travis Fredrick 72 & Zach Martin 70
For anyone that follows the NFL, knows the reputation of this teams offensive line. Last year they did face some adversity for different reasons. Loosing Tyron Smith down the stretch hurt them badly and they faced a lack of depth to support the loss. They made some really strong moves this off-season to make this unit stronger. I believe they will be back to the best o-line in the league. Instead of using a second round pick in the draft to try and trade for Earl Thomas, they elected to draft Connor Williams. He is a talented tackle out of Texas and choosing to pick him over the trade, shows how much the front office thought of him. They also picked up Cameron Fleming and Michael Martin ,to give this group more veteran experience. They just barely resigned Zach Martin to make him the highest paid guard in the league. It is shocking to me that Dallas carries the youngest offensive line in the league! Doesn't seem fair almost, does it!? This group will be tough for any front seven to match up against.
The Running Game- Strength
Ezekiel Elliott 21 & Rod Smith 45 @ OTA's
Many of the players and staff have already come out and said they are focused on the running game this season. They want to go back to their dominating ways of the 2016 season. With no distractions for Ezekiel Elliott this season and a healthy offensive line, they could be very dangerous. They have also brought in former first round pick and burner Tavon Austin. He is listed as a running back for roster purposes, but he should be seeing most of his time at wide receiver. If they can get him involved and confident with this offense, he could do big things. He dealt with injuries last season in Los Angeles, but the year prior he had nearly 60 catches for over 500 and had almost 30 touches from the backfield. That is solid production and he also put up 5 total touchdowns. With Rod Smith who finished the year out strong in 2017 and also drafting Bo Scarbrough from Bama, there are many possibilities at this position.
Wide Receivers- Weakness
Micheal Gallup (left) & Cedric Wilson (right) at rookie mini camp
There are many questions for this group on offense. Who will be the starters on the outside? Who will be that guy other teams are worried about? Will Dak have a go to guy? What is the Front office doing with Terrance Williams after his run in with the law? Can Cole Beasley get back to where he was in 2016? There is youth at the wide receiver spot and there is potential. It's just interesting to think about how it's going to work and who won't make the cut. I was excited about the Michael Gallup pick in the 3rd round. Go watch some tape on this guy if you don't know much about him. He is extremely athletic and attacks the ball. In 26 games at Colorado State, Gallup went for over 2,690 yards, on 176 catches and 21 touchdowns. That is over 100 yards per game and was an end-zone threat. I ultimately see Allen Hurns taking the #1 spot and the #2 spot, I think is wide open. Hurns has previously been a 1,000 yard receiver and hopefully he will build a good rapport with Dak this summer. We will see if this group can grow into a strength this season and keep teams from stacking the box all year.
There is some work to be done and things that need to be figured out offensively. This is a young offense, with some good athletes. Dak stated yesterday "the offense is not where it needs to be." Let's hope this staff can find a way to use these young guys, the right way and succeed.
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