3 unproven players who need to breakout for the Dallas Cowboys in 2024

[fivetwos]

Could happen.

Personally I’m just sick of hoping beyond hope that guys like these work out. They typically do not.

 

[Cmac]

So basically, we're in "hope mode".

 

[Cowboys5217]

I think Tolbert will be fine, and so will Bass but we will see with Mazi. Fans have to keep in mind he's playing a position that's not going to have a lot of stats. So I think a successful season for him would be breaking the starting line-up and starting 16/17 games regardless of stats.

So tired of this coping b.s.. Good players let you know it right off the bat, and so do bad ones.

 

[Cowboys5217]

yeah because he has 2 more years to be something great as DT's need time to develop (sarcasm). It took me a few plays to see what he WASN'T, soon as I said it, instant bashing! Now a lot of people see it

I got raked over the coals last pre-season for merely stating that he had a "quiet" first impression in the opening pre-season game.

 

[Coogiguy03]

I got raked over the coals last pre-season for merely stating that he had a "quiet" first impression in the opening pre-season game.

I know what you went through, for a guy that did talking and great workout warrior, none of it showed on the field

 

[JoeKing]

Tolbert had a rough rookie year but since then, he has done some good work at WR. I have faith in him stepping up to fill Gallup's shoes.

During his rookie season, Mazi was not the same playmaker whom I remember playing for the University of Michigan. He lost way too much weight and ended up needing offseason shoulder surgery. Said surgery has impeded his ability to properly prepare for the coming season. So as bad as we need him to step up, I don't see Mazi meeting that goal in 2024.

In 2023, we got a few sneak peeks, during certain games at what kind of contributor T.J. Bass can be. He is green but showed he can get the job done. Coaching will be the difference here. He is the perfect candidate if you're looking for a player who can step up from one year to the next.

 

[gimmesix]

I would add Sam Williams to that list as well. Dude needs to pick up the slack for both Armstrong and Fowler departing. But there is a sneaky option available there in Gholson. They could kick him back outside and have a nice rotational piece to take over for Armstrong and let Williams play the Fowler role. As I type this I am less concerned about the depth at DE than I was when I started this post. Both Gholson and Williams are good against the run and we know how explosive Williams is as a pass rusher. The Mazi thing you are dead on. HE won't have big personal stats but if we see our ILBs all getting TFLs and stuffs at the line then we will know Mazi is doing his job.

We have a lot of unproven players who need to break out at this point and a lot of room for them to do it since we only added one FA and lost several.

 

[ChuckA1]

Well, Amigos, we are left with hoping for improvements from the bubble players and a darn good draft, or we change teams. That's where the FO has positioned fans for '24.

 

[DandyDon52]

We need more than that.

Rico will need to improve as well as Jalen Brooks, Schoonmaker and Tolbert.

On the line we need Bass and Hoffman to be starting quality by the beginning of the season.

Defensively, Sam Williams and Mazi are the most important but improvement from Clark and Donovan Wilson is also vital.

some of these guys just need to play more to get better.
You cant get better on the bench or playing 5 plays a game.

 

[KingCorcoran]

some of these guys just need to play more to get better.
You cant get better on the bench or playing 5 plays a game.

Unless, of course, you’re a phenom.

 

[GoCowboysGo]

I don’t see how you can write an article like that and not include Overshown.

He will be playing in his third system in less than 2 1/2 years. College, Quinn’s, and now Zimmer’s system.

Along with rehabbing a major injury, and being so young, and not ever having taken a single regular season snap, he has faced so much, so early in his career.

 

[Flamma]

It's insane to say that a 1st round pick needs 2 more years to "develop". Why take him so high if that's the case? Doesn't make sense.

Then don't draft a DT in the first. Most don't show up year 1. Vita Vea showed up in year 2. He was drafted 12th. Quinnen Williams didn't show up until midway through year 2. Jets fans were calling him a bust. He was drafted 3rd overall. These are guys that stood out in college. What did we expect from a late 1st round pick?

 

[1942willys]

Tolbert had a rough rookie year but since then, he has done some good work at WR. I have faith in him stepping up to fill Gallup's shoes.

During his rookie season, Mazi was not the same playmaker whom I remember playing for the University of Michigan. He lost way too much weight and ended up needing offseason shoulder surgery. Said surgery has impeded his ability to properly prepare for the coming season. So as bad as we need him to step up, I don't see Mazi meeting that goal in 2024.

In 2023, we got a few sneak peeks, during certain games at what kind of contributor T.J. Bass can be. He is green but showed he can get the job done. Coaching will be the difference here. He is the perfect candidate if you're looking for a player who can step up from one year to the next.

Bass showed indications HE COULD get the job done; no more. Frankly I saw nothing from Mazi that made me think he could. He is going to have to take a BIG step forward this year; and bluntly speaking there is no excuse if he does not,

 

[1942willys]

Then don't draft a DT in the first. Most don't show up year 1. Vita Vea showed up in year 2. He was drafted 12th. Quinnen Williams didn't show up until midway through year 2. Jets fans were calling him a bust. He was drafted 3rd overall. These are guys that stood out in college. What did we expect from a late 1st round pick?

All we were asking from him was to stand his ground and tie things up. Sorry if you think that was too hard for him.

 

[MikeT22]

Its pretty crazy how many projects we draft that rarely see the field.

They put way too much emphasis on 'freakish athletes' and other measurables instead of pure production.

 

[zekecowboy]

We need twice that many to shine for this team to even match what we did this last year. Overshown and Bass and AT least one of the other O line guys have to step up; DL just as badly.
LB, DL, OL we meed two from each to step up big time

It's pretty simple, REBUILD.

 

[blueblood70]

3 unproven players who need to breakout for the Dallas Cowboys in 2024​

Story by Shane Taylor, Inside The Star

With the Dallas Cowboys doing nothing in the 2024 free agent pool, this team will need the young players to step up this season.

If the Cowboys don't get production from any of the younger players on the roster, the season could all be over by the time they hit Thanksgiving.

That said, let's look at a few players who need to find their groove this season so the Cowboys have any chance of competing.

1. Jalen Tolbert
2. Mazi Smith
3. T.J. Bass

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nf...r&cvid=6f9d1f5ac7e94567936fc4433ee89fe6&ei=26

you mean if the season started today,

you do realize that 2024 free agent pool, only the shallow end has been picked clean of like the biggest names most expensive contracts but the deep end has three times as many free agents still available..FACT

Plus more will be cut after the draft and more will be cut during roster cutdown right before the season starts and oddly enough we still have the draft and there will also be trades that could be done the same way we did with Gilmore ,cooks, and hankins...​

​

there's so much time left in 2024 can we stop saying they've done nothing without disclaimers" they haven't done much up to this point." Or simply YET.. ​

​

But you did leave out Hoffman Richards and Rico... I mean sure if the season started today we got to rely on a lot of guys but thank God it doesn't start until September what 10th??​

​

that means those three guys do not need to break out yeah somehow, we get a guy like say in the draft that's better or as a free agent before the season starts because this roster is nowhere near built & the free agent pool is nowhere near picked clean...​

But I understand your job is to create content and new stories but it's pretty much the same thing people been discussing for a month now oh wait a minute, 3 weeks when free agency actually started officially on the 14th...

that's all we've been saying is they did nothing this year and yet five months left to go there's plenty left to do and there's plenty of players left to get... These types of posts I would expect like a week before the season when we've already seen preseason and we've seen the roster and then it still looks less than stellar...

 

[America's Cowboy]

I would add Sam Williams to that list as well. Dude needs to pick up the slack for both Armstrong and Fowler departing. But there is a sneaky option available there in Gholson. They could kick him back outside and have a nice rotational piece to take over for Armstrong and let Williams play the Fowler role. As I type this I am less concerned about the depth at DE than I was when I started this post. Both Gholson and Williams are good against the run and we know how explosive Williams is as a pass rusher. The Mazi thing you are dead on. HE won't have big personal stats but if we see our ILBs all getting TFLs and stuffs at the line then we will know Mazi is doing his job.

100% agreed, Ronnie, which is why I hope the Cowboys take NC State LB, Payton Wilson, with their 24th pick because if they don't, the Packers certainly will at 25th...or the 49ers will at 31.

Payton Wilson teamed up with old man free agent signee, Eric Kendricks, and injury recovered DeMarvion Overshown would make our starting LB crew from one of the weakest to one of the best this upcoming season.

 

[kskboys]

It's insane to say that a 1st round pick needs 2 more years to "develop". Why take him so high if that's the case? Doesn't make sense.

The pick never did make sense. W/ his lack of burst an lateral agility, I'd blame very poor player evaluation on the pick.

 

[kskboys]

Poor scouting or something i'm not sure, we could have got someone else in a later round for this. They must don't pay too much attention to what the scouts are saying etc, they got in love with him doing 900 lbs on a workout machine, and him jumping up steps

Even worse, they pay attention to the wrong things.

"Hey, Jerry, this player only has one leg."

"Yeah, but if he just tries really hard he'll be all pro."