After an offseason of changes, departures, and frustration, we finally get to see the 2024 Dallas Cowboys’ roster strengths and weaknesses in action. They will play tomorrow against the Los Angeles Rams.
It will be the first time Dallas played against another team since that dreaded January game against the Green Bay Packers. Six months later, it’s time to start anew.
Let’s be frank: The Cowboys always have doubters, but this time, the calls are coming from inside the house. Fans are shaken up by the events of this offseason, and by the continued inability to extend their top players, namely CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott.
Between the offseason of disappointment and the Packers’ playoff loss, optimism is not at the forefront in Dallas, and for good reason.
The team has weaknesses this year that they didn’t have in 2023, whether from the departures, lack of draft picks, or their “avoid spending money” free agency strategy, this unit has some major holes.
Now, the question is where are those weaknesses on the roster? That’s what we’re here to discuss.
One Man Army at Defensive Tackle
Lord help the Dallas Cowboys defense if Osa Odighizuwa misses any time in 2024. The defensive line is fully reliant on him manning the middle, but despite his talents, he won’t be able to do it all by himself.
The former UCLA Bruin has been a gem of a find for Dallas; as a third round pick, he has gotten better every single season, and could be on the brink of a Pro Bowl nod.
Of course, the issue is there is nobody with even a solid track record behind him.
Former first round pick Mazi Smith is slated to be the DT2 right now, and while we are all hoping for a bounce-back season, you can’t fully bank on a guy with nine career solo tackles and major offseason shoulder surgery to produce at a super high level.
After him, however, we really start getting into the weeds. Names like Carl Davis Jr., Denzel Daxon, Viliami Fehoko Jr., and 7th-round rookie Justin Rogers are all on deck.
Last year, defensive tackle was a weakness for Dallas, and that was with Johnathan Hankins and Neville Gallimore offering major support.
Not only did Dallas fail to upgrade this weakness, they let both of those guys go, and will now rely fully on Odighizuwa, a resurgence from Smith, and perhaps a breakout year from one of the other guys mentioned.
That is a risky bet to place, perhaps the riskiest of any spot on the Cowboys roster.
The Past Looms Large at Running Back
To invoke Bruce Springsteen, the 2024 Cowboys’ running back room is sitting around talking about the glory days.
Headed by franchise-legend and nine-year NFL veteran, Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys are trying to find a spark that was lit years ago. The same can be said for fellow free agent signing, Royce Freeman, whose best season was over half a decade ago in 2018.
The two have nearly 4,000 career rushes combined, and at ages 29 and 28, respectively, it’s safe to say their time is running short.
On the younger side of the room, Dallas has a couple of guys with opposite backgrounds. Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis, and Deuce Vaughn combine for a career 586 rushing yards.
That is the definition of unproven, and it’s the last thing a “championship contender” needs out of its backfield.
Whether it is a young guy like Dowdle, or the resurgence of “Zeke”, the Cowboys roster desperately needs somebody to over-perform at the position in 2024.
The rumor going around is that Dallas has eyes for some outside options at the position, but in the meantime, it is a massive weakness, and by far the biggest on the offensive side of the football.
Musical Chairs at Third Wide Receiver Spot
Somehow, the lack of a real third wide receiver may be the least of the Cowboys’ problems at the position. As I mentioned earlier, Lamb is still unsigned, and that is becoming more of a controversy with every passing day.
If we do assume, and it’s a big assumption, that Dallas stops messing around and pays Lamb like he deserves, the focus will turn to just how unproven their WR depth is.
Behind Lamb and veteran Brandin Cooks, the Cowboys are looking at a mixture of Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, Jalen Cropper, KaVontae Turpin, and Ryan Flournoy.
I’m willing to bet Prescott is missing the Lamb-Amari Cooper-Michael Gallup days.
The Cowboys roster in general, but especially at wide receiver, is missing the firepower from years prior. This becomes really problematic when that is true at running back and receiver. Where are the points going to come from?
Prescott is a top five quarterback in the NFL, and the numbers prove that, but having such an unproven group fighting for the WR3 spot is going to hurt him.
Now, it is possible that guys simply over-perform, perhaps in all three of the position groups we’ve talked about, but you can not count on that. The Cowboys roster has undeniable positions of concern, and they must figure them out before it is too late.