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The infamous postseason chokers choked away this offseason in mighty fashion. They're good all around, but the depth is lacking in a big way. Will the starters have enough firepower to get this team into the playoffs again?
Let's see how this year is shaping up for my 18th-ranked team.
Photo: Sam Hodde/GettyImages
Strengths
Dak & CeeDee Connection
Star Studded Defense
Good Starting Offensive Line
Dak is entering the prime of his career, and having CeeDee around makes him that much better. From a film standpoint, Dak was an MVP candidate in my opinion in 2023, and CeeDee has cemented himself as a top 3 receiver in the league. With both of their contracts expiring in 2025, these two head into this season ready to prove they are worth being the highest paid at their positions.
This defense is full of players who would be household names on any team in the league. Micah Parsons helms this defense, assisted by DeMarcus Lawrence, Trevon Diggs, and DaRon Bland (yes, he is a star). Eric Kendricks has familiarity in Mike Zimmer's defense, so hopefully he can regain a step in his play, and Mazi Smith aims to take his play up multiple notches in his second season.
Despite losing Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz, this OL is still in good shape. Zack Martin and Tyler Smith is arguably the best guard duo in the league, and rookies Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe should earn starting roles early on this year. The question is, do you move Tyler Smith to right tackle to insert Cooper at his natural guard position, or do you have Beebe play center over Brock Hoffman, and leave Terence Steele at right tackle? I don't think either option is bad, but Brock and Terence cannot both be starting for long.
Weaknesses
Running Back Room
Cornerback Depth
Backups for Offensive Line
This RB group has to take the cake for worst in the league. Zeke has a ton of miles on his legs, Rico Dowdle has been fine when he's gotten snaps, but he has less than 100 attempts across three seasons, and Deuce Vaughn was a fun college RB who will most likely be a depth piece his entire NFL career. Outside of those three, Royce Freeman has the best chance to make the roster if they carry more than three backs.
Similar to the RB situation, outside of the starters, this CB room looks light. Jourdan Lewis has been underwhelming as the teams nickel over the past four seasons, CJ Goodwin has played less than 250 career snaps over eight seasons, and Nahshon Wright hasn't been good either. Caelen Carson will have a pretty clear path to significant snaps, but I wasn't a fan of his college tape.
To my point earlier, the starters on the OL are good, but the backups are lackluster. Chuma Edoga has been up and down his entire career, TJ Bass was below average in the playing time he got last year, and Asim Richards and Matt Waletzko have combined for 48 total snaps played between the two of them. Nathan Thomas has a chance to make the 53 man roster, and would be a decent addition to this shallow backup group.
Key Additions
Tyler Guyton - Offensive Tackle
Marshawn Kneeland - Defensive Lineman
Cooper Beebe - Interior Offensive Lineman
I've talked at length about the OL, and adding Guyton was a necessity. He's a pass pro connoisseur, and has the size and athleticism to improve his run blocking greatly. With the departure of Tyron Smith, bringing in Guyton was a great move - especially since both work with the same OL coach, Duke Manyweather.
Marshawn was an interesting prospect for me. He'll wow you with his athleticism, and he has some of the most violent hands in this rookie class, plus the size to play inside and outside. This combination will be utilized beautifully by Mike Zimmer, and I can see Marshawn getting significant snaps early in his career.
Cooper will be a starter on this Cowboys line for a long time - it just depends on where they want him to be used. He split his college reps between guard and tackle, with over 1,600 and 1,100 snaps at each position respectively. He tracks better at guard in the NFL, which makes me think they'll move Tyler Smith to tackle over him. We may also see him play center, as he has quick footwork and strong hands to handle any type of interior rusher.
Dark Horse
Ryan Flournoy - Wide Receiver
I was much higher on Flournoy that consensus in this draft process, and he'll have a chance to get significant snaps early on in his career. He has awesome measurables, and you see them being put to great use on tape. He just missed the cut for my top 15 receivers in this class, but he landed in an awesome situation in Dallas.
Photo: Chris Jones/USA TODAY Sports
Record
9-8
The Cowboys aren't the same regular season powerhouse that they have been lately. They have tough matchups early on against the Browns, Ravens, Lions, 49ers, Eagles, and Texans in six of their first ten games. They'll go 5-5 at best in that stretch, which would be awesome considering four of their last seven matchups are against teams in my bottom five. Their ceiling is at 10 wins this year for me, so they fall just short of that.
Final Notes
If the season goes this way for dem Boys, I doubt they bring Dak and CeeDee back. I could see one or the other, but definitely not both. This team will look much different come 2025; but hey, they're still projected to make playoffs, so at least that's something.
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