As the Dallas Cowboys prepare for the 2022 offseason, dealing with the biggest holes and weakest points of the roster is the obvious objective. Based on the players they’re potentially losing in free agency and who’s left if they go, we’re going to look at the team’s three greatest areas of concern based on current talent.
This list is based on this article from earlier in the week; a 53-man roster for 2022 built solely with players currently under contract. Even if you think Dallas is going to do everything possible to re-sign talents like Randy Gregory, Dalton Schultz, Jayron Kearse, or others, those deals are not yet signed and those players don’t currently factor into the analysis.
Based on that mock roster the Cowboys clearly have a lot of work to do over the next few months. But this isn’t a reason to lose faith.
In fact, despite all that Dallas needs to accomplish this offseason, early odds from Sports Betting Dime has the Cowboys with some of the best odds (+1600) to win the Super Bowl next season. They’re current the seventh-highest favorite in the NFL and fourth-highest among NFC teams.
Validating that optimism starts now, and here are the three positions where I think the Cowboys will have to make either the most or biggest moves to be able to contend in 2022.
For the record, I’m focusing on just offensive and defensive positions here. It’d be easy to just throw kicker out here with Greg Zuerlein being one of the league’s worst the last two seasons. But since that’s so obvious, let’s dig a little deeper into the two main phases of the game.
Guard
If only we could just clone Zack Martin and play him at every o-line position. But until that technology arrives, Dallas will just have to figure out their big problem at left guard the old-fashioned way.
It would be bad enough if Connor Williams, the starter for most of the last four years, was still under contract. He’s been more of a liability than strength so far and was a penalty machine last year. It got so bad that Dallas even benched him from Weeks 10-13 to see what backup Connor McGovern could do.
Unfortunately, that failed experiment only proved that neither of the Connors was really a great long-term option. That’s why Dallas will likely let Williams go in free agency and do their best to keep McGovern as a versatile backup rather than a vulnerable starter.
Between the penalties and other general performance issues in 2021, left guard was arguably the worst culprit in a bad overall year for the Cowboys’ offensive line. Offensive tackle certainly contributed but at least Tyron Smith and La’el Collins still have the potential to get back to Pro Bowl-worthy form.
The situation at guard is more critical. The previous starter wasn’t that good, his backup was even worse, and now the starter is probably leaving the roster. Finding a new LG should be one of the Cowboys’ top offseason priorities.
Linebacker
Much like Zack Martin at guard, Micah Parsons is a phenom but unfortunately can’t do it all on his own. The potential exodus of LB talent in free agency leaves this spot woefully thin, requiring some major attention and multiple moves to field a solid group for 2022.
With Keanu Neal, Leighton Vander Esch, and Luke Gifford (restricted) all free agents this offseason, that would leave Parsons as the only experienced linebacker on the roster. Second-year stud Jabril Cox can hopefully help the cause but got little playing time as a rookie, plus now has to overcome a season-ending ACL injury.
Replying on Cox to play a major role next year would be scary enough. But behind him are just two completely unestablished prospects in Francis Bernard and Devante Bond. If they earn a larger role during training camp then good for them, but getting it by default would likely lead to disaster.
At the very least, Dallas needs a strong off-ball linebacker to compliment Parsons in the nickel defense. They need someone who can hold up in coverage and run support when Micah is tasked with rushing the passer or otherwise lining up at the line of scrimmage.
After a strong showing late in the year, Vander Esch may have earned his way into another shot with the team. It may be nothing more than a one-year deal but, assuming he wants to remain a Cowboy, Leighton may accept it to prove himself and hopefully get a much better contract in 2023 from Dallas or someone else.
Whether it’s bringing back Vander Esch and Neal or replacing them, the Cowboys clearly have a lot of work to do at linebacker. At the very least, one significant addition is needed to stabilize the middle of the field and keep Parsons free to be the versatile weapon that he is.
Safety
It’s bad enough that Jayron Kearse is a free agent again but so are Malik Hooker and Damontae Kazee. That leaves Donovan Wilson as the only qualified starter at safety and a glaring issue for the other starting spot and depth.
The last thing anyone wants to see is Darian Thompson worming his way back up into a starting job. He’s fine as a backup and special teamer but has never done much with his occasional opportunities in a larger role.
That leaves just developmental projects Israel Mukuamu and Tyler Coyle as the other options. Mukuamu was a 6th-Round pick last year with intriguing size but still needs work to ever become a starter. Coyle was an undrafted free agent last year with good athleticism but, again, more raw potential than proven merit.
Even Donovan Wilson isn’t above suspicion. He only started three games last year while battling injuries and inconsistent play. A healthier run next year will hopefully get him back to things we saw in his 2020 breakout, but his spot in the starting lineup is far from assured after last season.
Depending on how they feel about Wilson the Cowboys may be looking to fill two starting jobs this offseason. Bringing back Kearse, their best safety and a veteran leader on defense, should be a priority. Neither Hooker or Kazee did enough that Dallas shouldn’t look for better options in free agency or the draft.
Like last year, safety appears to remain in a state of major transition. It yielded a great pickup with Jayron Kearse in the previous offseason, so hopefully Dallas can make another shrewd move in 2022.
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Narrowing this down to three positions wasn’t easy. A strong cases can be made at wide receiver, but at least Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb make for a solid starting duo. Defensive end was another contender but they still have Tank and I like Chauncey Golston and Tarell Basham’s potential better than what Dallas is working with at the positions above.
Ultimately the Cowboys will need to fix more than just guard, linebacker, and safety to be competitive in 2022. But If they don’t address these three areas, any work done at other spots may not matter.
