Are Cowboys Deficiencies able to be fixed this offseason?

[drawandstrike]

Once the draft is over we'll see what we have, then when the FA period ends. Right now we're in the part of the season where, unless you spurge a lot on FA early, it's nothing but subtraction, no additions.

 

[drawandstrike]

As of right now, I don't think we're a legit Conference contender. That could definitely change after the draft. This team vs. the Falcons right now, lawwwwwwd have mercy.

Agree with everything else, except Giants.

i said before the season last year, when it was cool to bash on the Giants spending, that the last half of the season that defense would be dangerous. Anyone looking at what they were doing could see they were building a team to stop the pass, and pass the ball on offense. What is it, like 80% of the time you win the passer rating differential battle you win the game?

If they can get some blocking, and Eli has a decent year, they'll definitely be a contender just for that reason alone. They also couldn't run the ball worth a crap last year either. They're my #2 in the East, #1 if we don't get it, and a playoff spot. Hopefully Eli goes full Eli, but if he just plays decently and they stay healthy they'll be in the playoffs.

If we'd had to play the Falcons next after squeaking by GB, I have no illusions about what that Falcon offense would've done to our defense.

 

[gmoney112]

If we'd had to play the Falcons next after squeaking by GB, I have no illusions about what that Falcon offense would've done to our defense.

Yep. And that's who we should be building for. Teams that can pass the ball.

People hate on DB's, but look at the Patriots. They know how important it is to stop the pass, that's why they take a DB high nearly every year. The majority of the time you have 5 DB's on the field, that's critical.

With our offense, we really need to get DB's that can take the ball away. We've absolutely got to get better pass rushing, but DB's at this point are just as important. (although some posters still won't get into the modern era and realize every dominant defense that had good pass rushers lately also had great secondaries, or in the case of the Pats, a great secondary and a mediocre pass rush)

It's looking good though. Almost all of the guys they've brought in are guys who are much, much better at playing the ball than anything we'd have outside of Jeff Heath lately. Even Thompson, the late round S they brought in, is a ballhawk.

We're looking to give this ball back to the offense as much as possible which is the smart thing to do. If Dak can prove, like his rookie season, to keep turnovers down and Zeke holds onto the ball, winning the turnover battle alone is going to make us a contender.

 

[jday]

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.

Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely? NO. This is not necessarily what I would call a rebuild year, but at the same time, I suspect it will take a couple of drafts to get this defense where the Cowboys want it to be. Now, let's say, however, that Charles Tapper turns out to be a significant contributor, David Irving becomes more consistent, and we start seeing what the coaches see in Demarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford. Let's also say that Jaylon Smith proves his worthyness and Anthony Brown and Maliek Collins both continue there progression as starter level players. That would mean the Cowboys only needs to find a few more key contributors in this draft, which is entirely plausible. What is not entirely plausible is everything else I just said happening.

 

[Bullflop]

This thread has served to make it abundantly clear that many of us, if not most, are painfully aware that as a team, we're feeling the crunch of too many seasons where our cap issues have caught up with us at a most inopportune time. (No vet free agents to help our secondary.)

Our defense was bad enough before losing some experienced defensive players that will be difficult to replace with rookies, even if they are noticeably more talented. In time, the rookie youngsters will gradually improve, although it will take some very precious time and important games for them to do so. Fittingly, expectations should be somewhat tempered.

Offensively, our pass protection might be left in doubt somewhat, unless we are somehow able to make up for the loss of Free and the possible lack of having a quality starter available due to Green's durability issues. Let's just hope a suitable RT starter somehow turns up.

Optimistically, Dak and Zeke will be a year more experienced and the offense might still manage to find success reminiscent of last year until the defense comes around sufficiently to carry their weight respectably. It may well be difficult for a while, though. Let's keep cool in the meantime.

 

[big dog cowboy]

(No vet free agents to help our secondary.)

Our defense was bad enough before losing some experienced defensive players

No vet FA's? Carroll?

Those experienced players were JAG's that were not allowed to walk, we're heavily criticized throughout their time spent in Dallas and simply needed to go. No rueage allowed for them!

 

[haleyrules]

Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely? NO. This is not necessarily what I would call a rebuild year, but at the same time, I suspect it will take a couple of drafts to get this defense where the Cowboys want it to be. Now, let's say, however, that Charles Tapper turns out to be a significant contributor, David Irving becomes more consistent, and we start seeing what the coaches see in Demarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford. Let's also say that Jaylon Smith proves his worthyness and Anthony Brown and Maliek Collins both continue there progression as starter level players. That would mean the Cowboys only needs to find a few more key contributors in this draft, which is entirely plausible. What is not entirely plausible is everything else I just said happening.

Yep. Too many questions to feel good about.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I couldn't disagree more with this post. You fall into the trap of looking at the number of players who left instead of the quality of the players who left. The Cowboys add 3 or 4 in this draft plus Tapper and Smith and they will be better than last year.

Agreed to a point, but do you really expect rookies to come in and make a big impact on defense? All you guys touting Zeke because he was the one that could have "the greatest impact" of any player last year. The same guys telling us defense first guys that defensive guys take a few years to get going and they wouldnt make much of an impact. Now I am hearing that we can fix everything in one draft, that these defensive rookies will fix things, yada, yada, yada. Seems some of you cats use logic when it suits you and reverse field when it doesn't.

And both Tapper and Smith are not out of the injury shadow yet. Both guys missing an entire year of football and being rookies themselves. Now maybe a few years down the line all these young guys could play up, but you are asking a lot for things to be fixed and ready to go next year. More than likely, it will get worse before it gets better. The one thing about the older guys that left is that they all knew the system back and forth and played together for years. It will be one mistake after another with all these young guys.

 

[CowboyRoy]

No vet FA's? Carroll?

Those experienced players were JAG's that were not allowed to walk, we're heavily criticized throughout their time spent in Dallas and simply needed to go. No rueage allowed for them!

Carrol? Are you kidding. More of a scrub than the scrubs that left.

 

[Joe Realist]

most likely - no.

 

[Stash]

Better zone corner.

Carroll > Carr all day.

In looking at it, I can't help but to think that the Cowboys sure think so.

While they worked to get Carr to take a paycut in 2016, they brought Carroll in for a visit but he ended up going back to Philadelphia.

A year later, it looks like they had specific numbers they offered Carr to return, but offered the same deal to Carroll to replace him. Carroll took the offer while Carr got a $1 million better signing bonus in Baltimore, on what appears to be a one-year deal with team options for future seasons.

From the team's perspective judging by the moves and the numbers, they're more than satisfied with Carroll replacing Carr. We'll see if they're right or wrong about that.

 

[Sandyf]

I understand your thinking on the S's we have, but I think we need an impact play maker at SS if one is there to draft. I would feel better about that over those we have left on the roster. A CB is needed also, but to me, not as much as a SS.
Good post and agree, but we just see the CB / SS need a little different, but I won't complain a bit if we land a top CB over a SS.

I think the team will see what all the DL can do in TC, but will still draft a few, and only if one slips to us for the 1st 2 rounds. The thing is, they can go any direction at any position for BPA and they will not be wrong. I am sure I will change my mind a few times over the next few weeks too...LOL...

Would agree on SS although after Adams, not sure any of them look to be a difference maker. Like Evans and Jones but believe both will be 3rd round guys, actually seen a couple of guys that will be 7th round or UDFA guys like Dylan Cole LB Missouri St who ran a 4.5 40 is about 230 sort of a Woodson type that could move from LB to SS or David Jones SS Richmond who is 6'3 230. They might not be ready right away but could be those hidden gems. Believe both will make NFL teams.

 

[jazzcat22]

Once the draft is over we'll see what we have, then when the FA period ends. Right now we're in the part of the season where, unless you spurge a lot on FA early, it's nothing but subtraction, no additions.

After the draft is over we will get 3 more months of the same crap of how our defense sucks...no matter how the draft goes...

 

[Stash]

Here's some food for thought on the topic of missing the guys we lost in the secondary. Take a look at Dallas' rankings league-wide against the pass for the past several years - with the guys who just left town:

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-passing-yards-per-game?date=2014-02-02

Then ask yourself if you're still as worried about replacing them?

Based on the numbers, whenever teams needed to pass against the Cowboys, they did!

The anomaly is the 2015 season without Romo, when Dallas couldn't score so opponents didn't have to throw, so they didn't.

But the numbers clearly show that the guys we had playing in the secondary weren't shutting anyone down, so there should be little fear of having to replace guys who weren't getting the job done anyway.

 

[jazzcat22]

Would agree on SS although after Adams, not sure any of them look to be a difference maker. Like Evans and Jones but believe both will be 3rd round guys, actually seen a couple of guys that will be 7th round or UDFA guys like Dylan Cole LB Missouri St who ran a 4.5 40 is about 230 sort of a Woodson type that could move from LB to SS or David Jones SS Richmond who is 6'3 230. They might not be ready right away but could be those hidden gems. Believe both will make NFL teams.

Thanks for the names, I always like to see thoughts on players to take a look at. I am far from any expert, and don't go study film and such. But nice to take a look and keep them in mind.

 

[drawandstrike]

Here's some food for thought on the topic of missing the guys we lost in the secondary. Take a look at Dallas' rankings league-wide against the pass for the past several years - with the guys who just left town:

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-passing-yards-per-game?date=2014-02-02

Then ask yourself if you're still as worried about replacing them?

Based on the numbers, whenever teams needed to pass against the Cowboys, they did!

The anomaly is the 2015 season without Romo, when Dallas couldn't score so opponents didn't have to throw, so they didn't.

But the numbers clearly show that the guys we had playing in the secondary weren't shutting anyone down, so there should be little fear of having to replace guys who weren't getting the job done anyway.

This is why I think Stephen Jones let Carr and Claiborne and Wilcox go. There was no upside to continuing to shell out big vet $$$ to guys who are performing only at an average or even below average level as a UNIT.

Games we dominated defensively we did so because the pass rush showed up, like vs. Tampa Bay. I think what Jones wants to do is trade down moneywise in the secondary and trade up money wise in the front seven of the defense. We tried putting the big $ on the defense in the secondary and ended up not really getting good results. We might be seeing a change in philosophy this season where the emphasis will be on replacing the secondary guys to keep that unit playing at just an average level but working hard to improve the pass rushing of the front seven.

We already have some pieces in that front seven that just need to get healthy, like Tapper and Smith. We should have a defense heavy draft with DB's taken early, but I expect a run on big bodies up front as well.

 

[xwalker]

Yep. And that's who we should be building for. Teams that can pass the ball.

People hate on DB's, but look at the Patriots. They know how important it is to stop the pass, that's why they take a DB high nearly every year. The majority of the time you have 5 DB's on the field, that's critical.

With our offense, we really need to get DB's that can take the ball away. We've absolutely got to get better pass rushing, but DB's at this point are just as important. (although some posters still won't get into the modern era and realize every dominant defense that had good pass rushers lately also had great secondaries, or in the case of the Pats, a great secondary and a mediocre pass rush)

It's looking good though. Almost all of the guys they've brought in are guys who are much, much better at playing the ball than anything we'd have outside of Jeff Heath lately. Even Thompson, the late round S they brought in, is a ballhawk.

We're looking to give this ball back to the offense as much as possible which is the smart thing to do. If Dak can prove, like his rookie season, to keep turnovers down and Zeke holds onto the ball, winning the turnover battle alone is going to make us a contender.

I'll be shocked if they draft a DB early that is not a ballhawk type.

 

[LatinMind]

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.

What if i told you dallas was right with the giants in every statistic and actually better in some then the NYG after they spent 200mil on defense in 2017. Would you believe me?

 

[xwalker]

This thread has served to make it abundantly clear that many of us, if not most, are painfully aware that as a team, we're feeling the crunch of too many seasons where our cap issues have caught up with us at a most inopportune time. (No vet free agents to help our secondary.)

Our defense was bad enough before losing some experienced defensive players that will be difficult to replace with rookies, even if they are noticeably more talented. In time, the rookie youngsters will gradually improve, although it will take some very precious time and important games for them to do so. Fittingly, expectations should be somewhat tempered.

Offensively, our pass protection might be left in doubt somewhat, unless we are somehow able to make up for the loss of Free and the possible lack of having a quality starter available due to Green's durability issues. Let's just hope a suitable RT starter somehow turns up.

Optimistically, Dak and Zeke will be a year more experienced and the offense might still manage to find success reminiscent of last year until the defense comes around sufficiently to carry their weight respectably. It may well be difficult for a while, though. Let's keep cool in the meantime.

I don't think that is the main reason for lack of Free agents.

IMO, Stephen and McClay think building through the draft is the best method regardless of the current cap status.

I think they want to keep plenty of spots open to retain young players.

Even if a team had cap space, once they sign a free agent they're tied to that player for multiple seasons. If that player is good but not a star player, it's hard to upgrade until his contract is over. The probability of finding star players in the draft is higher than finding them in free agency. If all of the starting spots at a position are tied up with mid-tier veterans, then draft picks get less playing time or they're less likely to draft at those positions.

The Cowboys had a lot of that in the Wade Phillips era and beginning of the Garrett era. They had positions full of mostly mid-tier players that were good enough to keep rookies on the bench or from making the team, but those veterans lacked star player type upside.

They didn't draft LeSean McCoy because they had Felix and Barber.

If they had kept Murray they wouldn't have drafted Zeke. Murray's a really good player but Zeke is a Super Star type player.

You can get a Murry in FA but not a Zeke.

 

[Bullflop]

I don't think that is the main reason for lack of Free agents.

IMO, Stephen and McClay think building through the draft is the best method regardless of the current cap status.

I think they want to keep plenty of spots open to retain young players.

Even if a team had cap space, once they sign a free agent they're tied to that player for multiple seasons. If that player is good but not a star player, it's hard to upgrade until his contract is over. The probability of finding star players in the draft is higher than finding them in free agency. If all of the starting spots at a position are tied up with mid-tier veterans, then draft picks get less playing time or they're less likely to draft at those positions.

The Cowboys had a lot of that in the Wade Phillips era and beginning of the Garrett era. They had positions full of mostly mid-tier players that were good enough to keep rookies on the bench or from making the team, but those veterans lacked star player type upside.

They didn't draft LeSean McCoy because they had Felix and Barber.

If they had kept Murray they wouldn't have drafted Zeke. Murray's a really good player but Zeke is a Super Star type player.

You can get a Murry in FA but not a Zeke.

I think it's extremely difficult to fill positions of need through the draft unless a team is and has been extremely adept at drafting. We have been doing better in recent years, although even teams that draft skillfully are likely to have positions now and then that require attention through free agency. I'm not talking here about making a habit of doing it every year, although teams that handle their caps better than we do are able to satisfy their needs when necessary.

I'm not a proponent of restructuring as we have done every year for who knows how long. Kicking the financial can down the road each and every year isn't any way to maintain a healthy financial structure in my opinion, although I don't claim to be a financial expert.

Perhaps going exclusively through the draft might eventually pay off -- that's hard to say without committing to it as a long term solution. I'm picturing it as something that will possibly take many years, as long as restructuring remains our supposed solution. Right now, we're in a tough situation, trying to catch with our cap difficulties stubbornly persisting.

I'm not at all confident that continuing to restructure players as we do (and likely will continue to do) might afford us a healthy financial environment anytime in the foreseeable future. It appears to me that whatever we gain from Romo's retirement is likely to be offset by delaying our financial health via restructuring as frequently and habitually as we have been and may very well continue to do. I hope I'm wrong on that. Time will tell.