Don’t you just love the offseason after the NFL draft and before all the players are obligated to report and the fun starts?
I know for us, we have to really dive into some things to right about, and as I was looking over the depth chart, I saw a few position battles I will be keeping a close eye on this summer.
One of these you may have not even thought about, but it seems clear that it might spark up some drama.
Joe Milton vs. Sam Howell
The backup quarterback position behind Dak Prescott is not as locked up as you may think it is.
Joe Milton, as of today, is the guy who is on the depth chart as the backup, and although his arm strength is not an issue,
Milton has still never started a game, but we have seen him be erratic when he has gotten in the game, not only with the Cowboys last year but also when he was with the Pats.
Shan, @BobbyBeltTX and @rjchoppy react to Schotty’s comments on Howell at the league meetings⤵️
If you did catch it this summer, Dallas signed Sam Howell, and he plans to be the third string as of now, but I think the backup role is very much wide open for either of these guys.
Howell clearly has the experience of Milton, but I would say neither are guys that, right now, Dallas should feel good with if Dak goes down and misses a month or something like that.
Howell has the experience, having started 18 NFL games, but Milton has the higher upside. It’s hard to believe that the Cowboys would part ways with Milton after trading a fifth-round pick for him a year ago, so I will keep a close eye on this, but it should be more of a battle than you think.
Luke Schoonmaker vs. Michael Trigg
This is going to be my FAVORITE battle of the summer and honestly, it’s not even close.
Luke Schoonmaker and Michael Trigg will be battling for the TE2 role this summer and I will be honest, If Trigg can control the other little issues he has, I think Trigg could take this job from Luke.
Trigg had 50 catches for 694 yards and six touchdowns at Baylor last season, so it is not like he is walking in as a guy who never saw the field. The issue is his maturity, like I noted above.
He has issues off the field, and his ability to not be able to run block and dropping easy passes are probably the main reason why he went undrafted, because it seemed like every time I looked at the screen another tight end was being drafted. 22 of them in total, so some of these issues have to be legit if nobody gave Trigg a chance.
Maybe this will backfire, but Luke just has not done enough in three years to be worth a roster spot when you have a guy like Trigg who can produce a much higher level if he keeps himself together off the field.
Lead Pass Rusher?
This one is a little bit more wide open for a number of guys to grab the bull by its horns and get the lead in snaps.
Right now, the Cowboys, without resigning Clowney, are going to have their third new sack leader in three years. Last year it was Clowney and the year before that was Micah Parsons. Now they lack a true pass rusher.
Guys like Kenny Clark, Williams, and Rashan Gary are not true pass rushers. Could they pop a season of 10 sacks because of how good the defensive line is now? Sure, but guys like Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawerence and James Houston are my guess is as to who leads the team in sacks this season.
Edge: Rashan Gary
DL: Quinnen Williams
DL: Kenny Clark
Edge: Donovan Ezeiruaku/Malachi Lawrence
LB: DeMarvion Overshown
LB: Dee Winters
CB: DaRon Bland
CB: Shavon Revel/Cobie Durant
CB/S: Caleb Downs
This will be something to watch very closely this summer and see who is leaning toward getting the snaps at the end of the defensive line.
I really think that it will end up being a team effort this season, and the leader for Dallas will finish with 7 or 8 sacks, followed by a handful of guys with 4 through 6.
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