News: 10 Observations from Wednesday's OTA Practice

TheCritic

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Hankins. Tyron. Lots of depth pieces.
None of those players are irreplaceable. While it's true that there will be some short term pain, I promise a year from now, there's not a single player the Cowboys let go this offseason that is going to cause serious regret.
 

Denim Chicken

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The last observation about Mazi is concerning. If he's going to be our NT, it's not good that he's looking slimmer than a year ago and about the same size as he was at the end of the season.
I read hes at about 305
 

rambo2

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What about the DLine? Stopping the run was awful and it got worse.

Also depth doesn’t matter in regards to LT. Tyron played 16 games last year so depth wasn’t required there. Guyton isn’t matching his production year 1. They’re hopefully a push or slightly better at center.
How did it get worse with the new linebackers and edge?
 

Creeper

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So we are still dealing with the mystery of Mazi's weight, are we? Why did he lose so much weight and why won't he, or can't he put it back on?

I will reserve judgement until I see him play in preseason, but this is starting to sound like a bad situation for Dallas. My fear is if he busts the Cowboys will wait another 30 years to draft a DT in the first round.
 

xwalker

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Same team but worst than last year. We are not going to have a good season at all.
The roster is the same or better.

Tyron was a loss but they were 12-5 in 2022 when he only played 4 games.

The biggest need in the playoff game was a veteran "Green Dot" LB. Kendricks as 5he Green Dot will make the other LBs better.

The defense played soft in the playoff loss. They won't be soft with Zimmwr as the DC.

Diggs replaces Gilmore.

Steele healthy.

They needed more power at OC. Beebe will crush people in the run game. Only question is shotgun snaps.

If needed, they can get a Hankins type DT, maybe better for a late round pick. 1tech DTs are just not high value commodities in the modern era unless they can also rush the passer. Teams often cur solid but older veteran 1techs after camp, often to avoid paying them.

Pollard wasn't good last year in the lead role at RB.
 

Bobhaze

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I always tap the brakes on any gushing by reporters on how players look in OTAs….with shorts and t-shirts on. If they aren’t wearing pads and playing real football, it isn’t realistic feedback.

Anyone remember how “dominant” former Cowboys TE Rico Gathers looked in OTAs back in like 2016 or 17? In shorts and a t-shirt he was an All Pro. Just completely unstoppable. Yet when the pads came on and even pre-season opponents started popping him, he was brought down to just another player.
 

gimmesix

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The roster is the same or better.

Tyron was a loss but they were 12-5 in 2022 when he only played 4 games.

The biggest need in the playoff game was a veteran "Green Dot" LB. Kendricks as 5he Green Dot will make the other LBs better.

The defense played soft in the playoff loss. They won't be soft with Zimmwr as the DC.

Diggs replaces Gilmore.

Steele healthy.

They needed more power at OC. Beebe will crush people in the run game. Only question is shotgun snaps.

If needed, they can get a Hankins type DT, maybe better for a late round pick. 1tech DTs are just not high value commodities in the modern era unless they can also rush the passer. Teams often cur solid but older veteran 1techs after camp, often to avoid paying them.

Pollard wasn't good last year in the lead role at RB.
That's debatable at this point. It depends a lot of how some younger players turn out.

Tyron, Biadasz, Gilmore, Armstrong, Hankins, Fowler, Gallup, etc., provided valuable snaps to a team that finished 12-5. We elected to replace almost all of them cheaply, with players with limited experience already on the roster or with draft picks. That certainly doesn't mean that decision will turn out poorly, but it doesn't mean it will turn out well, either.

Really, the only one we have a pretty good idea about is Diggs for Gilmore, but even with that, Diggs is coming off an ACL tear and we don't know how quickly or how well he'll do that.
 

nalam

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Now he can get his butt off few secs faster and engage and hold off OL ,thatwould be bigplus. Dont know what Quinn and D staff were thinking , making him a 3 tech ,he was picked for 1T or NT position, asking him to lose weight ? Etc.
 

deerhunter11

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10 Observations from Wednesday's OTA Practice


  • The battle for WR3 is off to the races, literally, as Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks were both targeted by Dak Prescott in first-team duties during full team drills, but KaVontae Turpin was not to be denied — targeted heavily in 7-on-7 drills and catching at least one deep fade in full team drills from Prescott. - Walker

  • Trey Lance had several well-placed throws in full team reps to open practice — including in traffic over the middle that only undrafted wide receiver Corey Crooms (5'11") was in position to elevate and grab (it was completed), as Lance looks far more comfortable in his process now. - Walker

  • Looking at some of the defensive rookies, Marshawn Kneeland won several reps against the Cowboys' starting offensive line while Marist Liufau spent most of his practice time rotating between the first and second team; as cornerback Caelen Carson was assigned to the boundary for all of his reps (and not the nickel). - Walker

  • As Lance continues to grow more comfortable, he has found a pair of receiving weapons that have proved to be consistent for him: rookie Ryan Flournoy and Jalen Cropper. Flournoy displayed strong hands on a pair of difficult grabs on Wednesday while Cropper was able to make grabs in tight windows and leak across the middle of the field for would-be yards after catch. - Harris
Thanks for posting, go cowboys.
 

ConstantReboot

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The roster is the same or better.

Tyron was a loss but they were 12-5 in 2022 when he only played 4 games.

The biggest need in the playoff game was a veteran "Green Dot" LB. Kendricks as 5he Green Dot will make the other LBs better.

The defense played soft in the playoff loss. They won't be soft with Zimmwr as the DC.

Diggs replaces Gilmore.

Steele healthy.

They needed more power at OC. Beebe will crush people in the run game. Only question is shotgun snaps.

If needed, they can get a Hankins type DT, maybe better for a late round pick. 1tech DTs are just not high value commodities in the modern era unless they can also rush the passer. Teams often cur solid but older veteran 1techs after camp, often to avoid paying them.

Pollard wasn't good last year in the lead role at RB.
The roster is the same probably worst because there are too many ifs, especially on the oline. Frankly, I think their actions are too little too late. They should have replace Tyron and Biadisz a year ago. They should have shored up their run game and they should have brought in some quality free agents.

Our opponents significantly gotten better. While we just wait in the sidelines and do nothing. Although people here say we improved. I don't think so. We still have many questions on the oline, the dline, and running back. We didn't replace them with anyone significant.
 

MikeT22

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None of those players are irreplaceable. While it's true that there will be some short term pain, I promise a year from now, there's not a single player the Cowboys let go this offseason that is going to cause serious regret.
The issue isn't that we lost irreplaceable talent. The issue is we didn't replace many of them with as good or better. We are relying on alot of our backups and young players who haven't produced and/or looked like busts so far to have to step up. Good luck with that.
 
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