With the off-season in full swing, teams are dialing in on expiring contracts, and some teams are focusing on who to replace them with during the 2023 NFL draft.
The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine will take place from February 28th, through March 6th, and the Cowboys have plenty of decisions to make in this small window.
What do they do with Ezekiel Elliott; do they cut his pay, or let him walk?
Will they place the franchise tag on Tony Pollard, or sign him to a new deal?
Regardless of what they do, the Cowboys have three positions they should monitor very closely starting next week.
RUNNING BACK
Look, I am not a fan of them drafting another running back, but we all know it has been a hot topic for the Cowboys and Jerry Jones.
If I had to pick someone for them to take it would be Texas star Bijan Robinson in the 2023 draft. He’s the top-ranked running back on the B/R board and one of the best prospects at his position we’ve seen in years.
Another guy to watch would be former Tulane Running Back Tyjae Spears.
A very underrated back, Spears generated 229 carries for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns while hauling in 22 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns through 14 games for the Green Wave.
WIDE RECEIVER
The Cowboys are in need of a wide receiver and the draft will have plenty of options for Dallas to look at, like North Carolina’s Josh Downs.
Downs projects as a great slot receiver; if Michael Gallup can’t get back to form they should give Downs a look in the later rounds.
Downs has some of the most dependable hands in this class. Among 53 wide receivers last year with at least 100 targets, he ranked second in contested catch rate (72.2%) and logged the eighth-lowest drop rate.
Another name I LOVE is Jayden Reed.
Last year he caught 59 passes for 1,026 yards and 10 touchdowns. Playing alongside the likes of Kenneth Walker certainly helped, but he’d be surrounded by that level of talent with the Cowboys as well, should they draft him.
Scouts continue to talk about Reed’s top-end speed and his ability to create separation. He was a top-100 prospect worthy of a day-two pick in the 2023 NFL draft, even being undersized as he is for the wide receiver position.
The Cowboys currently hold the 26th and, in the second round, 58th overall picks. With the week that Reed produced, I am worried that he may not make it another 20-plus picks down to the Cowboys in the second round.
I didn’t add other Cowboys needs because the rest of the class is DEEP. The Cowboys can find a quality corner or offensive lineman later in the draft.
We know how Jerry Jones is and expect Dallas to use an early pick on a running back or a wide receiver.
I will be dialed into the combine starting next week. I’m sure we will see some of these guys improve their stock as the week goes on.