Can you remember back to a time when you had no internet access? It’s hard to imagine. Before the last six weeks, I think 1995 was the last time I lived life without Internet. Oddly enough, that was the last season the Dallas Cowboys won a Super Bowl.
When it goes away you find out just how connected to the Internet we all are.
Now that I’m back online, I’m playing a bit of catch up to how the Dallas Cowboys offseason has unfolded to this point. Now, just 3 weeks away from the NFL Draft, the Cowboys have positioned themselves fairly well to attack the draft.
I wanted to go through the signings and storylines and give my thoughts on what’s transpired thus far.
WR Additions Cast Confusion on Depth Chart
I really like the signings of Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson. They add some really good production and depth to a WR group that hadn’t seen any turnover among its top three wide receivers over the last five years.
Allen Hurns will immediately slide into a number two role behind Dez Bryant. He’s very “Dak-Friendly” as he can create separation out of the slot and is in a similar mold of “big-slot” as Michael Thomas and Larry Fitzgerald. Not only can he create separation against DBs and linebackers, he has the size to take on the contact required when going across the middle.
If you couldn’t tell, I’m really excited about what Hurns — only 25 — can bring to the table.
Deonte Thompson played last year with Chicago and Buffalo and really hit a stride with Tyrod Taylor in the second half of 2017. He’s a home-run threat who can also return kicks. He potentially takes over Brice Butler’s role on offense while being used in a return role. He doesn’t replace Ryan Switzer on punts, but perhaps gives Dallas an option on kickoff returns.
With Dez Bryant, Hurns, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Ryan Switzer, Thompson, and Noah Brown all under contract, that’s too many names for the Dallas Cowboys depth chart.
At most, six will be on the roster, and depending on what they do with the rest of the team, they could opt to keep only five. That means one to two wide receivers may not be with the team when week one comes.
Check out the Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson scouting reports from Sean Martin, who, as fate would have it, will be in Arlington, Tex this year covering the 2018 NFL Draft for ITS.
If I were to try to project the wide receiver depth chart in April, which is always a foolish errand, I’d say it looks like this come week one, regarding my confidence in them being on the team.
- Dez Bryant – 99%
- Allen Hurns – 100%
- Terrance Williams – 60%
- Cole Beasley – 50%
- Ryan Switzer – 100%
- Deonte Thompson – 75%
I believe they’ll try to sneak Noah Brown to the practice squad if they keep Dez, Terrance, and Cole.
Terrance Williams’ contract, as Jess Haynie points out, doesn’t leave the Cowboys a lot of options, unless they’re able to find a trade partner. Cole has the easiest contract to walk away from at this point. With Switzer, there’s a redundancy on the roster. Not saying they should release Beasley, but it would make sense if they did.
The Dez Dilemma
Dez Bryant’s situation has been discussed ad nauseam, so I won’t spend a lot of time on this one. There are two questions that need to be asked.
The First: Can Dez Still Play?
I think he can. He’s not an elite WR anymore, but he’s also suffered a lot of minor injuries over the last several years that hurt his play and production. I don’t worry about Dez (if healthy) producing for DAL.
I don’t see the Allen Hurns signing signaling a Dez departure. As much as we are frustrated by Dez and his 2017 performance, we can be sure Dez is more frustrated with himself. He knows he’s a better player than that, and so does the front office.
The Second: Is Dez Worth the Hefty $16-million Cap Hit?
In a vacuum, to me the answer is no, but we don’t live in a vacuum — thank goodness, ’cause that would suck.
We live in a world where Dez Bryant and his contract go hand in hand. If the answer to question one is yes, Dez can still play, then you don’t worry about question two, you just swallow the number and move on.
If the answer is no, Dez can’t play, then you cut him and move on.
The Dallas Cowboys’ front office is trying to “have their cake and eat it too.” They want Dez to be a Cowboy, but they don’t want him gobbling up almost 10% of the cap.
To me, you live with the hand that you dealt yourself.
Offensive Line Additions Add depth
Dallas has seemed to make some nice backup additions in the offensive line.
Tackle Cameron Fleming could be a nice swing tackle option if the coaching staff has completely lost faith in Chaz Green. Fleming, who started for the Patriots during their playoff run, could also be an option at right tackle if they want to move La’el Collins again.
Guard Marcus Martin shouldn’t be seen as anything more than a depth player and backup for Dallas.
As Kevin Brady recently wrote, Collins wants to stay at tackle.
In case you missed it, you can read Kevin’s breakdowns of Cameron Fleming and Marcus Martin.
If the DAL coaching staff prefers to keep Collins at tackle, then that leaves a big hole along the offensive line at left guard. They can still afford to add a guard in the draft, and it probably needs to happen in the first or second round it seems, but according to Draft Twitter the guard class isn’t that deep.
Will Hernandez, Isaiah Wynn, or James Daniels will need to be on the team’s radar at 19 if the plan is to keep Collins at tackle.
Dominant D-Line Defenders Given Some Dollars
DeMarcus Lawrence was given the franchise tag and he signed it, guaranteeing him a little more than $17 million in 2018. I fully expect a long-term deal to be finalized before the July deadline. It’s all about figuring out the right number for him, but they’ll find one.
The franchise tag was a way of preventing another team from driving the price out of the Cowboys’ price range. They want Lawrence to have a star on his helmet for his prime years, so Jerry Jones will get a deal done.
David Irving, still only 24, was given a second round restricted free agent tender by the team, which will guarantee him $2.9-million dollars for 2018. The Cowboys should still be looking at paying him a long-term contract for 2019 and beyond. He’s as disruptive of a player as you’ll find on the interior, and while Maliek Collins is a good 3T tackle, I’m not willing to let David Irving get away.
Depth Added at Linebacker
Joe Thomas was signed to a two-year deal and, as Sean discusses, is a good depth addition who could play all three linebacker spots. But he fits the weak-side position best.
Thomas will help fill the void left by Kyle Wilber on special teams, and could be a rotational player with Jaylon Smith at MIKE if Smith’s still not ready for a full-time role.
Departures
When I first saw that Orlando Scandrick signed with the Washington Redskins, my first reaction was frustration. My second reaction was more of a shoulder shrug. My third reaction was a bit of a chuckle.
The Washington Redskins always seem to go after the Cowboys’ leftovers. They’re the guy you room with who wasn’t there when you ordered pizza, but saw it in the fridge the next day and ate it cold.
I love Orlando Scandrick the Cowboy, but he was done here, so good luck to him for 14 games a year.
It wasn’t surprising to see Brice Butler depart. Yes, he had his shining moments with the star on his helmet, but he also had some not so great moments as well.
Anthony Hitchens is the biggest loss in free agency.
He was an ascending player toward the second half of 2017, when he finally got healthy, but he got paid big money by the Kansas City Chiefs, so I understand and am ok with the Cowboys letting him walk. It leaves a big issue at linebacker though, one that will need to be addressed in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft.
Jonathan Cooper‘s departure for the San Francisco 49ers isn’t all that surprising, and he served as a nice stop-gap in 2017. Dallas simply wasn’t going to pay him what he got in free agency.
Keith Smith was a bit of a surprise, but he’s a full back and in today’s NFL, you aren’t using a fullback very much. Teams operate in 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) about 70% of the time and when Dallas isn’t in 11 personnel, they’re in 12 (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) or 13 (1 RB, 3 TE).
Kyle Wilber‘s departure is kind of a bummer. He was a good special teams player for the Cowboys and pretty reliable. Not a big name for sure, but special teams matters.
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Well, now that we’re done with the major free agent portion of the offseason, we turn our sights to the draft, which is less than three weeks away. It’s exciting times around Cowboys Nation.
Stay tuned.
