I was thinking about the Cowboys player personnel needs, and what has been posted on this site about those needs, and given that almost everyone has the same list, although not always in the same order, and given that it really boils down to about 3-4 important needs, I have to wonder if the Cowboys are really that far away from being the team we hope to see.
Let's not talk about Dak, because we won't draft a QB with a top pick, or Jerry and Jason who also won't be replaced for 2019. I know ... these are key roles, but for this thread let's talk about what is possible to address. If the mantra is only that the Cowboys have to suck with those guys, there are plenty of other threads to post that in.
It seems to me that the focus for most posters is solidly on 4 positions - S, DT, WR & TE, so, with so few major needs, I can't help but think the Cowboys have a realistic chance to address all of them.
SAFETY: If, as many think, ET is a target, signing him would address safety and take out one of the major needs.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE: Obviously not having a 1st rounder hurts the chances to find a strong one, so that could be the biggest impediment. Still, we could go heavy at DT in the draft to improve the odds, or maybe trade up. And who knows, there is at least an outside chance Irving could get his stuff together - don't jump on that though because I do not advocate treating the offseason as if that will happen, and in fact, I believe we should treat it as if it won't, and it will be bonus if we are wrong.
WIDE RECEIVER: The chances are improved by the fact we don't need a #1 because of the Cooper trade, and many, including myself, think Gallup will be a quality #2 with a year of experience under his belt. We are also helped by the fact Cooper can move into the slot whenever needed, so that gives us versatility and allows us to look for the best receiver rather than a specific type of receiver. We also may already have a strong candidate in house to step up in Cedrick Wilson, who the Cowboys liked as a rookie last year before he got hurt in training camp. Of course, Adam Humphries is a free agent, and many think he would be ideal to replace Beasley, but the general feeling is the Cowboys won't be willing to pay what it will take to get him. Golden Tate would also fall in that category. But there should be a lot of #3 receiver options in the draft, plus there are several proven free agents that might cost a little but not break the bank. On the small side, Jon Brown, Jamison Crowder and Kendall Wright, but with the flexibility we have with Cooper we could go for a bigger, stronger receiver like Donte Moncrief.
TIGHT END: My personal belief that I know some will disagree with is TE is not a position we need to stretch for because once the Cowboys started targeting Jarwin and Schultz late in the season we saw notable results. They won't make the position elite, but I don't think elite is necessary to make the team strong. If someone we like falls to the middle rounds, or we want to take a shot on a reasonably priced veteran like Eifert, who has talent but is often injured, that would be reasonable, but there are other areas I believe are much more important to address. Plus, if we can fill the #3 WR spot capably that minimizes the need for a top receiver at TE.
Obviously there are other areas that could stand to be upgraded (O-Line depth), but the above seem to be the biggies.
