As the NFL offseason grows closer to the next biggest date, plans for how your favorite NFL team will be assembled are starting to take raw form.
The free agency legal tampering period starts in a few short weeks on March 11th, with full free agency to start on March 13th.
My last article featured 11 key players who have had their contracts expire with the Dallas Cowboys and the holes it could leave in the roster.
Today I'd like to start a short series on the top three positions on the Cowboys' roster that will need to be addressed with so many key players no longer under contract.
For reference, allow me to list the 11 players I speak of so you can see what the Cowboys could be losing.
- LT Tyron Smith (starter)
- RB Tony Pollard (starter)
- CB Stephon Gilmore (starter)
- DE Dorance Armstong (rotational)
- S Jayron Kearse (starter)
- CB Jourdan Lewis (starter)
- DE Dante Fowler (rotational)
- DT Johnathan Hankins (starter)
- LS Trent Sieg (specialist)
- RB Rico Dowdle (rotational)
- C Tyler Biadasz (starter)
This list features four offensive players, six defensive, and one specialist.
For the first article in this series, we will be analyzing what the Cowboys' cornerback position can look like in 2024.
Current Outlook
The Dallas Cowboys find themselves with two of their top three cornerbacks in 2023 as free agents.
Stephon Gilmore and Jourdan Lewis became CB2 and CB3 after the season-ending knee injury to Trevon Diggs in Week 3 of the regular season.
Cornerback is considered one of the five premium positions by NFL general managers, along with quarterback, wide receiver, left tackle, and edge rusher.
It's too early in the offseason to hear anything about how the Cowboys plan to move forward, but I believe it's safe to assume that this position will need to be addressed at all costs.
Here is the current depth chart as it stands on dallascowboys.com:
- Trevon Diggs
- DaRon Bland
- Nahshon Wright
- Eric Scott Jr.
That's it. That's the list, and in a league where offense is king, only two proven cornerbacks is a recipe for disaster.
Practice squad players are not included because, like the free agents, there is no guarantee they will be part of the team in 2024.
Free Agency
I believe that another one-year contract should be offered to Gilmore to stay on as CB2 until Diggs is fully recovered from injury.
As we've seen with both Michael Gallup and Terence Steele over the past couple of seasons, the player coming off of a torn ACL does not come back as effectively.
Each player is different, and their bodies react differently to treatment and rehabilitation.
Don't kick my chair out from under me for this, but what if Diggs never returns to be the same player as before?
It's not some conspiracy theory. The proof is in the pudding.
Gallup has not been the same player since his injury and it's come to the point that he may be a cap casualty this offseason.
Steele was just in his first year back after tearing his ACL in October of 2022, but he was much less effective.
It's possible, like Gallup, that Steele never returns to his previous form so is it out of the question to think the same for Diggs?
It feels like blasphemy and the last thing I want to do is condemn Diggs' recovery, but as a team, the Cowboys need to be prepared.
The best way to prepare is to re-sign Gilmore and consider re-signing Lewis to the team that drafted him in 2017.
Draft
Regardless of whether or not Gilmore and Lewis are re-signed, as a premium position, I strongly urge every team to address cornerback in the draft every season.
There are plenty of options at cornerback in the draft, ranging from immediate impact players to players who need some development before taking the field.
Some names that have already been linked to the Cowboys as possible early draft picks include the following:
- Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama)
- Nate Wiggins (Clemson)
- Cooper DeJean (Iowa)
- Kamari Lassiter (Georgia)
- Kalen King (Penn State)
Any one of these young players could come in and make an impact in Mike Zimmer's first season back as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator.
Addressing the cornerback position for 2024 should be near the top of the to-do list for the Dallas Cowboys front office.
