Are Cowboys Deficiencies able to be fixed this offseason?

[Jkyle]

As everyone knows, the Cowboys' biggest problem area is Pass Rush.
So far, it hasn't been addressed/improved this off-season/Free-agency.
To add to the problems, the Secondary is seeing some big changes/overhaul.
It remains to be seen if they can shore up the defense with the Draft.
If Dallas is unable to correct or address those problems sufficiently, we may find ourselves falling behind the other NFC contenders: Green Bay, Seattle, NY Giants, Atlanta, etc.
It remains to be seen if the other teams have sufficiently addressed their deficiencies too.
Green Bay: RB, CB, OLine
Seattle: OLine
NY Giants: Oline
Atlanta: Super Bowl Collapse Depression
Other Sleeper Teams, Saints (Defense), Carolina (OLine, CB), Cardinals (OLine, QB), Minnesota (OLine, WR)
Many of the top Contenders last season were affected by injuries, Seattle & GB (Secondary, OLine).
If they are able to avoid similar injuries next season, they will be at the top again.
The Giants are a solid OLine away from overtaking Dallas in the NFC East.
Dallas was fortunate in many ways last season by avoiding "Major" injuries to key players.
This season may or may not be different.
If we are unable to shore up our deficiencies and other teams are able to improve on theirs, 2017 could be a tough season. Especially since we play all the top teams with a 1st place Schedule.
If the offense stays relatively healthy and the Defense is able to improve slightly over last year, then we should be right in the thick of things.
Let's just hope enough is done to give us that shot.

 

[HoosierCowboy]

off season is not over yet

 

[Idgit]

GB lost a lot of talent, too. They're another team that rebuilds from the draft.

I don't consider the Giants a contender. They're a notch below the other teams you mention, though they did sweep us, so I guess that's all that matters. They overpaid for JPP, but otherwise I do like what they've done this offseason. They'll fill that RB role with a stud and have at least made motions towards fixing that OL in keeping Jerry and bringing in Fluker. They're still a cut below the best NFC teams in terms of talent, though.

The Cowboys won't be able to fix all of our deficiencies this offseason, but we've cleared the way to do it over the course of the next two years. We let a lot of average players walk, and we'll be able to fill a lot of those roles for this year, and put stop-gaps in everywhere else. We need playmakers on defense, though. So they either have to come off of the current roster (we've got a couple guys with that potential), or we need to be adding them as fast as we can. We still ought to be considered a legit NFC contender going into the season, though.

 

[OUCowboy]

I think Dallas stands a good chance of improving the defense. Of course, my theory hinges on players like Tapper and Smith doing what they are capable of, if they are healthy. That will go a long way in improving the defense.

If the organization feels confident about the defensive line, I wouldn't be surprised to see them take a cornerback or safety at #28, rather than an edge rusher.

However, I rather hope they take TJ Watt, if he is available. He never gives up on a play, even if it isn't coming his way. He's fun to watch.

 

[Carson]

Absolutely they can.

Only new starter on offense is at RT. The rest of the band is together. Well minus the great Gavin Escobar!

The pass rush is still a bit scary from a speed rusher. But if we nail that in the draft and another corner we are better off. Carr was durable, but that's about it from him and Mo. Church will be missed more than people want to admit. But we get younger and a chance to get.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

GB lost a lot of talent, too. They're another team that rebuilds from the draft.

I don't consider the Giants a contender. They're a notch below the other teams you mention, though they did sweep us, so I guess that's all that matters. They overpaid for JPP, but otherwise I do like what they've done this offseason. They'll fill that RB role with a stud and have at least made motions towards fixing that OL in keeping Jerry and bringing in Fluker. They're still a cut below the best NFC teams in terms of talent, though.

The Cowboys won't be able to fix all of our deficiencies this offseason, but we've cleared the way to do it over the course of the next two years. We let a lot of average players walk, and we'll be able to fill a lot of those roles for this year, and put stop-gaps in everywhere else. We need playmakers on defense, though. So they either have to come off of the current roster (we've got a couple guys with that potential), or we need to be adding them as fast as we can. We still ought be considered a legit NFC contender going into the season, though.

Giants beat us with no OL, we don't have the DL to take advantage of that. They beat us twice and are set up to beat us again cause we can't take advantage of that weakness cause our DL is weak. They are also stout against the run, which sets up well against us. They are closer than most think especially if they get a RB.

There are alot of teams that are close, but as of right now, we can't say we are better than last year when we lost our first playoff game. I personally think the Falcons would've blown us out the building even if we beat GB. We can't name one spot we are better than last year, all it is, is hope....maybe the rookies will get better and such.

We probably are better for getting rid of some guys, but with a tougher schedule and no improvements, I just don't see how we will be better. We can talk about the draft, but guess what, every other team in the league can improve in the draft also. All I'm saying is we really don't have room for cockiness so far this offseason.

 

[GhostOfPelluer]

Giants beat us with no OL, we don't have the DL to take advantage of that. They beat us twice and are set up to beat us again cause we can't take advantage of that weakness cause our DL is weak. They are also stout against the run, which sets up well against us. They are closer than most think especially if they get a RB.

There are alot of teams that are close, but as of right now, we can't say we are better than last year when we lost our first playoff game. I personally think the Falcons would've blown us out the building even if we beat GB. We can't name one spot we are better than last year, all it is, is hope....maybe the rookies will get better and such.

We probably are better for getting rid of some guys, but with a tougher schedule and no improvements, I just don't see how we will be better. We can talk about the draft, but guess what, every other team in the league can improve in the draft also. All I'm saying is we really don't have room for cockiness so far this offseason.

Often the NFL is a game of matchups. The Giants match up better with us than with other contenders. They're strengths are run D and passing O, with their biggest weakness the Oline. So they can contend w our strengths and we can't exploit their biggest weaknesses. But they match up much worse against GB, Sea, Atl. If we play our game we can beat those teams. They probably can't.

Of course the draft can change that, too.

 

[waving monkey]

Our unseasoned talent in the secondary will be hairy till they get their chops working but they should be more talented then what left us.
We have three interesting players stepping on the field for the first time that should have everyone attention,then there's that draft.
We have sophomore players [MColiins] I have a lot of confidence in along with Paea and those other two FA.
Mainly we have Rod the Magic Man ready to rev em up.

What will Rico do?

 

[OUCowboy]

Our unseasoned talent in the secondary will be hairy till they get their chops working but they should be more talented then what left us.
We have three interesting players stepping on the field for the first time that should have everyone attention,then there's that draft.
We have sophomore players [MColiins] I have a lot of confidence in along with Paea and those other two FA.
Mainly we have Rod the Magic Man ready to rev em up.

What will Rico do?

It will be interesting to see how Rico develops. He could be a real asset to the offense if he continues to improve.

 

[haleyrules]

Too many unknowns. The secondary.. Tapper, Smith...etc..etc.The divison rivals, Eagles and Giants look to have improved. The Club has set an agenda that will look a lot better in a couple of seasons. The FO is taking the club in the right direction...but it cannot be fixed in one off season.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

Often the NFL is a game of matchups. The Giants match up better with us than with other contenders. They're strengths are run D and passing O, with their biggest weakness the Oline. So they can contend w our strengths and we can't exploit their biggest weaknesses. But they match up much worse against GB, Sea, Atl. If we play our game we can beat those teams. They probably can't.

Of course the draft can change that, too.

It can change either way in the draft. We did beat GB but lost when it actually counted. We also don't know what we could do with Sea or Atl.

I agree the game is about matchups, moreso now than ever before. We might get better through the improvement of the young guys, but that can't be counted on to make us a better team. Other teams have guys that will improve also, and they might've upgraded their other talent.

Dak taking another step in his development is pretty much the main way we can improve as of right now. We can't just go around assuming we will have a draft like last year.

 

[Eanwen]

I think the Cowboys' defense will get (a lot?) worse until it gets better, 3 years rebuilding if we're lucky (although maybe only 2 years to be better than last year).

I'm legitimately worried that Collins, while more gifted talent wise, is a step down at LG. If he could stay healthy, I think Green would eventually be an upgrade over Free, but I doubt Green can stay healthy.


Regardless, I'll continue watching every game and hoping for the best.

 

[haleyrules]

It can change either way in the draft. We did beat GB but lost when it actually counted. We also don't know what we could do with Sea or Atl.

I agree the game is about matchups, moreso now than ever before. We might get better through the improvement of the young guys, but that can't be counted on to make us a better team. Other teams have guys that will improve also, and they might've upgraded their other talent.

Dak taking another step in his development is pretty much the main way we can improve as of right now. We can't just go around assuming we will have a draft like last year.

Yep. Drafting 28th is a lot different from drafting at 4th.

 

[OUCowboy]

I think the Cowboys' defense will get (a lot?) worse until it gets better, 3 years rebuilding if we're lucky (although maybe only 2 years to be better than last year).

I'm legitimately worried that Collins, while more gifted talent wise, is a step down at LG. If he could stay healthy, I think Green would eventually be an upgrade over Free, but I doubt Green can stay healthy.


Regardless, I'll continue watching every game and hoping for the best.

I wish we could have kept Leary. No disrespect to Collins, but Ron Leary did a fine job job last year. I understand why we didn't, but still.....

 

[Aven8]

No. Still have the same HC. That's not bagging on him, but he still has a ways to go. He has a tendency to not have the team prepared in certain situations, such as after bye's, playoffs, win and in, etc. Last year by the time the team finally woke up it was too late. Had we come out with urgency we beat GB going away.

 

[aria]

I think the defense will be better or slightly worse which isn't a horrible situation under the circumstances. We'll be fine as long as the offense continues to donwhat they did last year, control the clock. If/when teams start stopping our offense is when we'll be in trouble.

The other NFCE teams I'm most concerned about are the Midgets, Sheagles and Deadskins in that order.

The Midgets offense with the addition of Marshall is the stuff made of nightmares but it won't matter if they don't address their O line, which they haven't (Fluker is a joke) and Eli continues to be under pressure. They aren't able to run the ball and without fixing the o line that won't change no matter who is in the backfield. This draft is very, very bad for O linemen so I don't see much changing from last year. Their D is pretty dang good though, that's the only reason they won games last year.

The Eagles will be better. They've made a small addition on their o line and I'll just assume Wentz will improve, how much is yet to be seen. The additions of Smith and Jeffrey will only help Wentz and, like Beckham and Marshall, could be a nightmare against any secondary, let alone a few sophmires or rookies.

Skins, meh. Yeah, they got a true threat with Pryor but they also lost a lot.

I know I'll get flamed for this but I would also give us the head coaching advantage over the Giants and Skins hands down.

 

[TonyS]

We lost a lot of bodies, so the ones we replace them with through the draft and the rest of free agency will need to be better than them for us to compete in a tough division. Can we do that through the draft? Its a toss up. To think we can catch lightning in a bottle and have a draft like last year's (which is what we'll need if we don't score a couple more solid FAs), is probably too optimistic. I think if we can land a potential difference maker at DE and a solid CB and solid S in this draft, we will be well on our way; but next year could be a bumpy ride. May have to take a step back before we move forward.

 

[diefree666]

I think the Cowboys' defense will get (a lot?) worse until it gets better, 3 years rebuilding if we're lucky (although maybe only 2 years to be better than last year).

I'm legitimately worried that Collins, while more gifted talent wise, is a step down at LG. If he could stay healthy, I think Green would eventually be an upgrade over Free, but I doubt Green can stay healthy.


Regardless, I'll continue watching every game and hoping for the best.

Collins is all about potential; but he can be better than leary if he developes as he should. Green is already better than Free as regards pass blocking; needs to get better run blocking. Though the real question there is if Green can stay on the field.

The D should only take two years to really improve IF we do it right.

 

[Proof]

The off-season up to this point has left a real sour taste in my mouth. Honestly though, as we approach the draft I'm having a hard time seeing it fall many ways that don't net us some good defensive players in the first two rounds. I really think as bitter of a pill as it's been to swallow, that we will retool in a way that will have the team in better shape.

Not better than if we'd retained a few players AND added through the draft, but better than we were last year. I really believe it. And that's before adding in wishing on the shooting stars that are Jaylon / Tapper / Irving.

I think with letting the secondary walk, retaining T Will (at an absolute bargain bin discount) was massive. Have faith

 

[diefree666]

The off-season up to this point has left a real sour taste in my mouth. Honestly though, as we approach the draft I'm having a hard time seeing it fall many ways that don't net us some good defensive players in the first two rounds. I really think as bitter of a pill as it's been to swallow, that we will retool in a way that will have the team in better shape.

Not better than if we'd retained a few players AND added through the draft, but better than we were last year. I really believe it. And that's before adding in wishing on the shooting stars that are Jaylon / Tapper / Irving.

I think with letting the secondary walk, retaining T Will (at an absolute bargain bin discount) was massive. Have faith

I liked letting most of the secondary guys go. There was no one there that you could really count on when it mattered.