As things stand right now it looks as if the Dallas Cowboys have had a pretty successful offseason. It really looks as if they’ve potentially upgraded their roster through both free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft, but there still is one area that is unresolved and as such is a bit of a concern.
LEADERSHIP
Unfortunately, the Dallas Cowboys have lost quite a few of their top leaders this offseason. Jason Witten, the Cowboys longest tenured player, decided to trade in his silver and blue for silver and black by joining the Las Vegas Raiders via free agency. His voice carried as much weight as any coach in the building and quite possibly more. His leadership qualities won’t be easily replaced.
Don’t forget about leaders like Travis Frederick, Byron Jones, and Jeff Heath. All three held underrated leadership roles at their respective positions with no clear replacements in sight. If you add all of that up that’s over 30 years of “leadership” experience the Dallas Cowboys desperately need to replace heading into the 2020 season.
As I sit here right now, I’m not completely sure which players are ready, willing, and able to step up into leadership roles this year. Not everybody is capable of handling such a responsibility or wants it. It’s a job that can’t really be thrust upon an individual. It has to be earned through hard work and trust.
Jason Witten, Travis Frederick, Byron Jones, and Jeff Heath were all really good leaders in their own ways. Either vocally or leading by example, all of the above players leave a leadership void that will need to be filled in some form or fashion. Who’s going to step up though?
That’s the question is in it…
I just don’t know if there is any player on the Dallas Cowboys roster who has demanded the kind of respect Jason Witten has both on and off the field over the years. Maybe Sean Lee? But he like Travis Frederick, Byron Jones, and Jeff Heath are more of the lead by example types. I don’t know if there’s anyone else like Witten who can hold everyone accountable like he’s done throughout his career.
Winning games will negate the need of leadership of course, at least a little. Winning has a way of covering up the more problematic areas in the NFL. But, what happens when the game is on the line and someone needs to step up to rally the team? Who is capable of doing that?
I have a few ideas of my own, but I’ll let you navigate the unknown and come up with your own answers. All of this talk of leadership, or lack thereof, may seem like a relatively small concern, however, that depends on how much stock you put into such a thing. To me, it’s an underrated aspect to being successful or not.
I don’t know about you, but I’m going to be paying close attention to all of this from here on out. I think it’s more important than a lot of people realize, but that’s just my opinion.
