Has this team done the thing most people thought wasn't possible without bottoming out? Did the Cowboys rebuild right before our eyes?
The faces of the franchise, Tony Romo, Jason Witten and Dez Bryant kind of mask the fact that a good majority of this roster has been turned over.
Gone are the aging veterans Miles Austin, Jason Hatcher and DeMarcus Ware. Enter young bloods Devin Street, Henry Melton and DeMarcus Lawrence. This has gone from an aging roster to one of the youngest in the league seemingly overnight. It surprised me to learn that the Cowboys were the seventh youngest roster at the start of the 2013 season and they only got younger this past off-season.
On The Defense:
I feel the Cowboys' approach of having a plethora of defensive linemen – young defensive linemen at that – will prove to be a wise decision. Ben Bass and Tyrone Crawford will be back and with the additions of the new DeMarcus, Amobi Okoye, Ken Bishop and Ben Gardner, this unit should be much improved, which in turn should help out the defensive backfield. Keep an eye on Chris Whaley from Texas, he is almost literally cut from the same mold as Melton.
I'm a big fan of DeVonte Holloman, I think he has the chance to be pretty good and possibly compete for a starting position. Anthony Hitchens doesn't appear to be the greatest player ever drafted but, he is a tackling machine.
As for the secondary, I'm not ready to write off Morris Claiborne just yet. He was a bad man in college and I think he's just been hurt up to this point. His confidence is probably rattled because of that. I think J.J. Wilcox will prove that the Cowboys were right not to draft Ha Ha Clinton-Dix or Calvin Pryor with their first-rounder.
Offensively:
Zack Martin is a nasty dude and I can't wait to watch him play. He adds the newest piece to what was already a very good O-Line. Now it becomes one of the top lines in the league. Crazy to think that just two years ago it was garbage.
I refuse to write off the Gavin Escobar pick as a bad one. He showed flashes that make me think he will be the real deal. That touchdown against Philly in week 17 sticks in my mind.
Terrance Williams was very good last year; I expect him to take the next step up to the elite #2 receiver status this year. Devin Street looks like a very good pick.
I've been fascinated by Chris Boyd after reading this article on ESPN –Â Chris Boyd ‘thankful' for chance with Dallas. This could turn out to be found-money for the Cowboys.
[pull_quote_center]“We got our arms around what his role is and how he perceived what his role is and how he feels about it now, and we felt comfortable that he was OK to bring in here and be a part of our football team,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “He seems like a good person who got caught up in a bad situation. He probably wasn't perfect in handling it, but I think he learned a lot from it and we feel comfortable with what kind of guy he is.” [/pull_quote_center]
There is talent on this team, young talent. It may not come to fruition next year, or under Garrett's tenure, but I'm bullish on a bright future for these Cowboys.
