To say there’s been a lot of movement this offseason wouldn’t do it justice.
Gone from the 2019 Cowboys are key contributors like Byron Jones and Robert Quinn. All Pro center Travis Frederick has retired, and the Cowboys seem to be in a transition phase on the back-end of their defense.
But have they still improved their roster despite the turnover?
Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report wrote a “stock up or down” article this week, and did say that the Cowboys are pointing in the right direction. Mike seems to believe that keeping their two biggest offensive stars in tact for the 2020 season will help keep the Cowboys afloat.
“They kept Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. Dallas’ defense will be porous, but keeping those two was a must. Stock: Up”
He’s got a point.
As Prescott and Cooper go, so do the Cowboys. When they are playing at their best Dallas can score with and beat anyone. And before Amari Cooper arrived, Prescott was playing some of the worst football of his entire career.
Keeping those two around should’ve been the team’s top goal. So far so good, I suppose.
Dallas also went ahead and added veteran presence on the interior of their defensive line. By signing both Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe, the Cowboys improved upon the defensive tackle spot, and avoided having to use draft capital on the position. Now they can focus their draft picks where they are needed most, namely in their secondary.
The impact of Byron Jones’ departure cannot be understated. Chidobe Awuzie has been abused at times the last two seasons, despite being in the right position so often. If he’s expected to be the team’s number one cornerback he’ll need to take a massive step forward.
Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown have both proven to be good corners for sure, but Dallas will need to add another one early on in the 2020 draft. The problem is, however, that there may not be a cornerback of the caliber needed when the Cowboys come on the clock at 17.
They’ll also likely need to address safety, by the way, despite signing former Packers and Redskins safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
Even with the holes which still remain on the roster, you can feel pretty confident in what the Cowboys can be in 2020. Their star power still remains strong, and the injection of new voices on the coaching staff should bring improvement on its own as well.
I’d say their stock is at least neutral, with the biggest talent acquisition event yet to even begin.
