CFZ Brief Roster Evaluation - Offense

[Jumbo075]

QB - Setting money aside, Dak is easily a top 10 QB in the NFL, and has been consistently so throughout his career. Buy he’s not elite. Mahomes is the only current elite QB in the NFL right now. Others have a chance to become elite. Dak isn’t one of them. But he can win with the right players around him. He needs a strong running game. The Cowboys have a competent backup and a developmental player. Ignoring the money, they are not in a weak position compared to other NFL teams. But it would also not be unreasonable for the Cowboys to play out the string this year with Dak. It could be better, but it could also be a lot worse.

RB - the Cowboys have a couple of undrafted players (Dowdle annd Davis) and a recent 6th round pick (Vaughn) who hardly saw the field as a rookie and is way undersized. This is a genuine weakness for the team. Luepke had a decent 1st season at fullback, but made some costly mistakes.

TE - a position of strength for the Cowboys who have two solid starting caliber players in Ferguson and Schoonmaker. Both can block and receive. Backing them up, the Cowboys are three deep with Hendershot, Stephen’s and McKeon.

WR - two 1st round picks as starters, one an All-Pro, and another talented speedy veteran. They have a recent 3rd round pick to fill the role at 3rd receiver who had a solid 2nd season last year in Tolbert. Turpin is lightning quick, and adds a dimension to the offense. Their 5th receiver was a surprise draft pick a year ago who I think outperformed his expectations - which were admittedly low. The Cowboys will bring in competition, but the 5-man deep roster of Lamb, Cooks, Tolbert, Turpin and Brooks isn’t terrible, and might be quite good. No drop off expected from losing Gallup.

Offensive line - the Cowboys have two established young starters with Smith and Steele. The hope is Steele, who struggled last season after coming off an injury, will bounce back in 2024. The Cowboys options in the draft may determine in Smith starts at guard as he did in 2023, or at tackle as he did in 2022. He’s getting older , but Zach Martin remains one of the top Guards in the NFL. The Cowboys also have three recent mid round picks in Ball, Waletzko and Richards. They have two undrafted linemen (Bass and Hoffman) who started multiple games for them in 2023 as injury replacements. The Cowboys need two starters to replace Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz. They either have more faith in recently drafted players and undrafted players than we realize, or they need to find replacements in the draft. It isn’t totally unreasonable for the Cowboys to expect at least one of those starting positions to be filled by a player already on the roster, but do we know who that might be?

Bottom line: RB and offensive line are the weaknesses on offense. The Cowboys are solid at all of the other skill positions.

 

[Hawkeye19]

This offense was built around being able to run the ball— and it sucked in that department.

They retained the OL coach for some reason, and now they have left themselves no option but to draft OL. It is a fairly deep draft for OT and C which is in their favor.

As you pointed out— gaping hole at RB. They likely draft a RB in rd 2 and cross their fingers.

Bottom line: this unit is worse now than it was in Jan, and it was already clearly not good enough. Counting on a bunch of rookies to play above their ceiling is not a viable strategy.

I look for the offense to really struggle as they play out a first play schedule and battle in a division where everyone else has gotten better

 

[America's Cowboy]

QB - Setting money aside, Dak is easily a top 10 QB in the NFL, and has been consistently so throughout his career. Buy he’s not elite. Mahomes is the only current elite QB in the NFL right now. Others have a chance to become elite. Dak isn’t one of them. But he can win with the right players around him. He needs a strong running game. The Cowboys have a competent backup and a developmental player. Ignoring the money, they are not in a weak position compared to other NFL teams. But it would also not be unreasonable for the Cowboys to play out the string this year with Dak. It could be better, but it could also be a lot worse.

RB - the Cowboys have a couple of undrafted players (Dowdle annd Davis) and a recent 6th round pick (Vaughn) who hardly saw the field as a rookie and is way undersized. This is a genuine weakness for the team. Luepke had a decent 1st season at fullback, but made some costly mistakes.

TE - a position of strength for the Cowboys who have two solid starting caliber players in Ferguson and Schoonmaker. Both can block and receive. Backing them up, the Cowboys are three deep with Hendershot, Stephen’s and McKeon.

WR - two 1st round picks as starters, one an All-Pro, and another talented speedy veteran. They have a recent 3rd round pick to fill the role at 3rd receiver who had a solid 2nd season last year in Tolbert. Turpin is lightning quick, and adds a dimension to the offense. Their 5th receiver was a surprise draft pick a year ago who I think outperformed his expectations - which were admittedly low. The Cowboys will bring in competition, but the 5-man deep roster of Lamb, Cooks, Tolbert, Turpin and Brooks isn’t terrible, and might be quite good. No drop off expected from losing Gallup.

Offensive line - the Cowboys have two established young starters with Smith and Steele. The hope is Steele, who struggled last season after coming off an injury, will bounce back in 2024. The Cowboys options in the draft may determine in Smith starts at guard as he did in 2023, or at tackle as he did in 2022. He’s getting older , but Zach Martin remains one of the top Guards in the NFL. The Cowboys also have three recent mid round picks in Ball, Waletzko and Richards. They have two undrafted linemen (Bass and Hoffman) who started multiple games for them in 2023 as injury replacements. The Cowboys need two starters to replace Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz. They either have more faith in recently drafted players and undrafted players than we realize, or they need to find replacements in the draft. It isn’t totally unreasonable for the Cowboys to expect at least one of those starting positions to be filled by a player already on the roster, but do we know who that might be?

Bottom line: RB and offensive line are the weaknesses on offense. The Cowboys are solid at all of the other skill positions.

Dak isn't elite, nor can he become elite???

Yet, he puts up elite numbers!



So much for the "Dak's not elite" mantra.

 

[America's Cowboy]

This offense was built around being able to run the ball— and it sucked in that department.

They retained the OL coach for some reason, and now they have left themselves no option but to draft OL. It is a fairly deep draft for OT and C which is in their favor.

As you pointed out— gaping hole at RB. They likely draft a RB in rd 2 and cross their fingers.

Bottom line: this unit is worse now than it was in Jan, and it was already clearly not good enough. Counting on a bunch of rookies to play above their ceiling is not a viable strategy.

I look for the offense to really struggle as they play out a first play schedule and battle in a division where everyone else has gotten better

Totally agree, @Hawkeye19 .

Only chance to be competitive and still make the playoffs is to make hard but crucial draft decisions that hit good with every pick.

 

[jazzcat22]

Too many needs still.
RB and OL for sure. Not ready to say the younger OL on the roster are ready. But that is just my amateur opinion. They team knows way more than any of us fans.
Yes they looked decent when they had to play, but are they ready for a full time long 17 game season plus playoffs.

WR, I prefer a big tall fast WR. One that can be an end zone threat as well. I am tired of all these 6-1, 200 pound types. Some may say that is decent, but we lack the 6-3, 6-4, 6-5 types, that can contest tough catches, and can go up to get the ball.

TE group I am fine with. Remember Stephens was looking good before his injury. I think they may bring back McKeon for at least a camp body.
Can't seeing them draft a TE this year.

 

[doomsday9084]

This offense was built around being able to run the ball— and it sucked in that department.

They retained the OL coach for some reason, and now they have left themselves no option but to draft OL. It is a fairly deep draft for OT and C which is in their favor.

As you pointed out— gaping hole at RB. They likely draft a RB in rd 2 and cross their fingers.

Bottom line: this unit is worse now than it was in Jan, and it was already clearly not good enough. Counting on a bunch of rookies to play above their ceiling is not a viable strategy.

I look for the offense to really struggle as they play out a first play schedule and battle in a division where everyone else has gotten better

Someone posted the stats for Dak's record when the team runs well and when it doesn't. The difference is absurd.

The fact that the team brought back the same group of coaching morons who came up with that run scheme and have now thinned out the RB room and O line is the achilles heel of this team. Well, that and run defense.

 

[noshame]

Transition year for the offense. We'll be installing a entire new offensive scheme soon. I would draft C if the right guy is there. After that I'd let Zimmer build his D.

 

[McKDaddy]

I have much more faith in the guys being asked to step up on the offensive side than I do on the defensive side. If you get the Oline to give you better run blocking it will help everything else immensely.

They need the BPA to be interior defensive linemen & LBers before anything on offense.

 

[Ranching]

QB - Setting money aside, Dak is easily a top 10 QB in the NFL, and has been consistently so throughout his career. Buy he’s not elite. Mahomes is the only current elite QB in the NFL right now. Others have a chance to become elite. Dak isn’t one of them. But he can win with the right players around him. He needs a strong running game. The Cowboys have a competent backup and a developmental player. Ignoring the money, they are not in a weak position compared to other NFL teams. But it would also not be unreasonable for the Cowboys to play out the string this year with Dak. It could be better, but it could also be a lot worse.

RB - the Cowboys have a couple of undrafted players (Dowdle annd Davis) and a recent 6th round pick (Vaughn) who hardly saw the field as a rookie and is way undersized. This is a genuine weakness for the team. Luepke had a decent 1st season at fullback, but made some costly mistakes.

TE - a position of strength for the Cowboys who have two solid starting caliber players in Ferguson and Schoonmaker. Both can block and receive. Backing them up, the Cowboys are three deep with Hendershot, Stephen’s and McKeon.

WR - two 1st round picks as starters, one an All-Pro, and another talented speedy veteran. They have a recent 3rd round pick to fill the role at 3rd receiver who had a solid 2nd season last year in Tolbert. Turpin is lightning quick, and adds a dimension to the offense. Their 5th receiver was a surprise draft pick a year ago who I think outperformed his expectations - which were admittedly low. The Cowboys will bring in competition, but the 5-man deep roster of Lamb, Cooks, Tolbert, Turpin and Brooks isn’t terrible, and might be quite good. No drop off expected from losing Gallup.

Offensive line - the Cowboys have two established young starters with Smith and Steele. The hope is Steele, who struggled last season after coming off an injury, will bounce back in 2024. The Cowboys options in the draft may determine in Smith starts at guard as he did in 2023, or at tackle as he did in 2022. He’s getting older , but Zach Martin remains one of the top Guards in the NFL. The Cowboys also have three recent mid round picks in Ball, Waletzko and Richards. They have two undrafted linemen (Bass and Hoffman) who started multiple games for them in 2023 as injury replacements. The Cowboys need two starters to replace Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz. They either have more faith in recently drafted players and undrafted players than we realize, or they need to find replacements in the draft. It isn’t totally unreasonable for the Cowboys to expect at least one of those starting positions to be filled by a player already on the roster, but do we know who that might be?

Bottom line: RB and offensive line are the weaknesses on offense. The Cowboys are solid at all of the other skill positions.

Why doesn't Dak have a chance at being elite? Please give me your thoughts.

 

[Risen Star]

I guess he feels better after writing that fiction.

Jalen Tolbert's "solid" 2nd season: 22-268-2

 

[Robster8989]

I guess he feels better after writing that fiction.

Jalen Tolbert's "solid" 2nd season: 22-268-2

Right. And Schoonmaker is a solid NFL starting TE? Huh?
We have 2 really good Guards and an elite WR, plus 1 solid young TE (and it's not Schoonmaker, lol).
The rest of the Offense is highly questionable at this point.

 

[MikeT22]

I guess he feels better after writing that fiction.

Jalen Tolbert's "solid" 2nd season: 22-268-2

Tolbert was 1-12 yds in his rookie year. He was 22x’s better last year!!!

 

[MikeT22]

Right. And Schoonmaker is a solid NFL starting TE? Huh?
We have 2 really good Guards and an elite WR, plus 1 solid young TE (and it's not Schoonmaker, lol).
The rest of the Offense is highly questionable at this point.

We need two upgraded starters on the OL, RB and a #2 or #3 WR.

Even then, we’d still have Dak.

 

[Jumbo075]

I guess he feels better after writing that fiction.

Jalen Tolbert's "solid" 2nd season: 22-268-2

You do realize that Michael Gallup only had 34 receptions in 2023, correct?

 

[Bobhaze]

QB - Setting money aside, Dak is easily a top 10 QB in the NFL, and has been consistently so throughout his career. Buy he’s not elite. Mahomes is the only current elite QB in the NFL right now. Others have a chance to become elite. Dak isn’t one of them. But he can win with the right players around him. He needs a strong running game. The Cowboys have a competent backup and a developmental player. Ignoring the money, they are not in a weak position compared to other NFL teams. But it would also not be unreasonable for the Cowboys to play out the string this year with Dak. It could be better, but it could also be a lot worse.

RB - the Cowboys have a couple of undrafted players (Dowdle annd Davis) and a recent 6th round pick (Vaughn) who hardly saw the field as a rookie and is way undersized. This is a genuine weakness for the team. Luepke had a decent 1st season at fullback, but made some costly mistakes.

TE - a position of strength for the Cowboys who have two solid starting caliber players in Ferguson and Schoonmaker. Both can block and receive. Backing them up, the Cowboys are three deep with Hendershot, Stephen’s and McKeon.

WR - two 1st round picks as starters, one an All-Pro, and another talented speedy veteran. They have a recent 3rd round pick to fill the role at 3rd receiver who had a solid 2nd season last year in Tolbert. Turpin is lightning quick, and adds a dimension to the offense. Their 5th receiver was a surprise draft pick a year ago who I think outperformed his expectations - which were admittedly low. The Cowboys will bring in competition, but the 5-man deep roster of Lamb, Cooks, Tolbert, Turpin and Brooks isn’t terrible, and might be quite good. No drop off expected from losing Gallup.

Offensive line - the Cowboys have two established young starters with Smith and Steele. The hope is Steele, who struggled last season after coming off an injury, will bounce back in 2024. The Cowboys options in the draft may determine in Smith starts at guard as he did in 2023, or at tackle as he did in 2022. He’s getting older , but Zach Martin remains one of the top Guards in the NFL. The Cowboys also have three recent mid round picks in Ball, Waletzko and Richards. They have two undrafted linemen (Bass and Hoffman) who started multiple games for them in 2023 as injury replacements. The Cowboys need two starters to replace Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz. They either have more faith in recently drafted players and undrafted players than we realize, or they need to find replacements in the draft. It isn’t totally unreasonable for the Cowboys to expect at least one of those starting positions to be filled by a player already on the roster, but do we know who that might be?

Bottom line: RB and offensive line are the weaknesses on offense. The Cowboys are solid at all of the other skill positions.

Nice work Jumbo. I generally agree with your assessment of the offense on a position by position basis.

But my concern about this offense is beyond just needing to upgrade at OL and RB, or any other position for that matter. My biggest concern about this offense is that it collectively does not seem to have the flexibility to win in multiple situations. It does not seem as capable when asked to carry the team in a game where the defense fails.

Heres what I mean:

• If the defense forces multiple turnovers and the team takes an early lead, the offense comes to life and can usually score as needed.
• But if the defense fails early as we saw in the GB playoff game or the SF and Buffalo losses last year, the offense seems limited In its ability to lead a rally. The lone exception I can remember from last year was the Seattle game in which the offense carried the team.

So in other words, this offense has lots of individual talent but collectively they have been effective most of the time only when things are going well for the defense. If the offense gets mouth punched early by an equal or superior opponent, it seems less capable of counterpunching.

I think this offense needs more than some positional upgrades. I have major concerns about the scheme and its ability to adjust to unfavorable situations or matchups.

 

[VaqueroTD]

RB is non-existent. Rico can't stay healthy. Deuce is barely big enough to qualify for Pop Warner. No one has even come close to proving they can bring an NFL game workload. Please bring in someone, Jerry and Stephen.

 

[Jumbo075]

RB is non-existent. Rico can't stay healthy. Deuce is barely big enough to qualify for Pop Warner. No one has even come close to proving they can bring an NFL game workload. Please bring in someone, Jerry and Stephen.

I think nearly everyone is in agreement on this. But history shows teams are better off drafting a new young 20 year old running back than they are signing older veteran RBs. I think the Cowboys know this, and RB will be a priority in the draft in April.

I’m not like many who think burning a 1st round pick on a RB is a waste. I think 5 years, plus a franchise year is about the right career life for a RB, and the cost for the 5th year option and 6th year franchise tag is so low compared to other positions that it is worth spend a late 1st round pick on a RB.

 

[VaqueroTD]

I think nearly everyone is in agreement on this. But history shows teams are better off drafting a new young 20 year old running back than they are signing older veteran RBs. I think the Cowboys know this, and RB will be a priority in the draft in April.

I’m not like many who think burning a 1st round pick on a RB is a waste. I think 5 years, plus a franchise year is about the right career life for a RB, and the cost for the 5th year option and 6th year franchise tag is so low compared to other positions that it is worth spend a late 1st round pick on a RB.

I'm not of opinion it has to be in FA, especially given Cowboys success on RB picks as long as it's in top 4 rounds. But I get nervous any position going into the draft that has zero depth. That's putting a lot of faith into a rookie and your GM's draft prowess.

 

[MyFairLady]

This offense is built to compile massive amounts of regular season stats. We will achieve the objective. No worries.

 

[FVSTONE]

QB - Setting money aside, Dak is easily a top 10 QB in the NFL, and has been consistently so throughout his career. Buy he’s not elite. Mahomes is the only current elite QB in the NFL right now. Others have a chance to become elite. Dak isn’t one of them. But he can win with the right players around him. He needs a strong running game. The Cowboys have a competent backup and a developmental player. Ignoring the money, they are not in a weak position compared to other NFL teams. But it would also not be unreasonable for the Cowboys to play out the string this year with Dak. It could be better, but it could also be a lot worse.

RB - the Cowboys have a couple of undrafted players (Dowdle annd Davis) and a recent 6th round pick (Vaughn) who hardly saw the field as a rookie and is way undersized. This is a genuine weakness for the team. Luepke had a decent 1st season at fullback, but made some costly mistakes.

TE - a position of strength for the Cowboys who have two solid starting caliber players in Ferguson and Schoonmaker. Both can block and receive. Backing them up, the Cowboys are three deep with Hendershot, Stephen’s and McKeon.

WR - two 1st round picks as starters, one an All-Pro, and another talented speedy veteran. They have a recent 3rd round pick to fill the role at 3rd receiver who had a solid 2nd season last year in Tolbert. Turpin is lightning quick, and adds a dimension to the offense. Their 5th receiver was a surprise draft pick a year ago who I think outperformed his expectations - which were admittedly low. The Cowboys will bring in competition, but the 5-man deep roster of Lamb, Cooks, Tolbert, Turpin and Brooks isn’t terrible, and might be quite good. No drop off expected from losing Gallup.

Offensive line - the Cowboys have two established young starters with Smith and Steele. The hope is Steele, who struggled last season after coming off an injury, will bounce back in 2024. The Cowboys options in the draft may determine in Smith starts at guard as he did in 2023, or at tackle as he did in 2022. He’s getting older , but Zach Martin remains one of the top Guards in the NFL. The Cowboys also have three recent mid round picks in Ball, Waletzko and Richards. They have two undrafted linemen (Bass and Hoffman) who started multiple games for them in 2023 as injury replacements. The Cowboys need two starters to replace Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz. They either have more faith in recently drafted players and undrafted players than we realize, or they need to find replacements in the draft. It isn’t totally unreasonable for the Cowboys to expect at least one of those starting positions to be filled by a player already on the roster, but do we know who that might be?

Bottom line: RB and offensive line are the weaknesses on offense. The Cowboys are solid at all of the other skill positions.

Prescot has been constant, constantly lousy when he's facing a team with an average record or better. Cowboy brass need to find a way to move up in this draft and find Prescot's replacement. The 12-5 seasons don't mean squat if the Boys can't get past the 1st rd of the playoffs, no it's time to get as far away as possible from Dakota "TOAD HUNTER" Prescot!