CFZ Comparing the strengths and weaknesses of 23 and 24 rosters

[charron]

Defensive depth is super shallow. CB with diggs coming off injury will start exposed without bland. DE is very thin. Not only will Micah have to continue wearing himself out at DE, the lack of talent behind him may force him to play more even when gassed.

 

[DogFace]

Smith could not be counted on and he wasn’t dominant anymore. I say that makes that even.

Carson< Gillmore (Bland will return)
Beebe > Biadasz
Tolbert = or > a washed Gallup
Phillips+Joseph> Hankins
Kendricks > LVE
Overshown will be an impact player.
Diggs is a top 3 corner that can change the game.

RB is the significant drop off and I will rue not getting Henry for a 2nd time.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

I know that our current 53 man roster is not really truly finished. There will be some depth/fringe type players added for a while but for the most part we know what most roster spots will be in 2024.

Thought it would be interesting to compare the strengths and weaknesses of last year’s 12-5, NFC East Champ, #2 seed and early exit team to this year’s 2024 roster as it stands now.

First the depth chart for the 2023 Cowboys and what their strengths and weaknesses were: (I included some key depth players on defense)
QB Dak Prescott. LDE DeMarcus Lawrence/Dorance Armstrong
RB Tony Pollard. LDT Osa Odighizhua
WR Cedee Lamb. RDT Mazi Smith/J.Hankins
WR Michael Gallup. RDE/LB Micah Parsons
WR Brandin Cooks. MLB Damone Clark/LVE
TE Jake Ferguson. OLB Marquese Bell
LT Tyron Smith S Jayron Kearse
LG Tyler Smith. S Donovan Wilson
C Tyler Biadaz LCB Daron Bland
RG Zack Martin. RCB Stephon Gilmore
RT Terance Steele. NCB Jourdan Lewis

2023 - DEFENSE:

Strengths: Defense ranked 5th overall, great pass rush, forcing turnovers in games where we had the lead, corners in coverage​

Weaknesses: Stopping a good running game, tackling in space, holding opponents when needing a stop late.​

2023 Defensive Starters no longer here: LB LVE, DT Jonathan Hankins, DE Dorance Armstrong
2023 OFFENSE

Strengths: Offense ranked 5th overall, Dak had 36 passing TDs, 9 pics, Cedee Lamb led league in receptions, Cowboys #1 in scoring pts​

Weaknesses: Running game was 15th in yds pg, offense struggled more on the road, especially if behind.​

2023 Offensive Starters no longer here: LT Tyron Smith, RB Tony Pollard, WR Michael Gallup, C Tyler Biadaz

Here’s the 2024 projected starters and big contributors:
QB Dak Prescott. LDE DeMarcus Lawrence
RB Rico Dowdle. LDT Osa Odighizhua
WR Cedee Lamb. RDT Mazi Smith/L. Joseph/J. Phillips
WR Jalen Tolbert. RDE Marshawn Kneeland
WR Brandin Cooks. MLB Eric Kendricks
TE Jake Ferguson. OLB Micah Parsons
LT Tyler Guyton OLB Damone Clark
LG Tyler Smith. S Donovan Wilson
C Cooper Bebee S Malik Hooker
RG Zack Martin. RCB Trevon Diggs
RT Terance Steele. LCB Caelon Carson

2024 DEFENSE: (on paper)

Strengths: Any D that has Micah Parsons, DLaw, and Trevon Diggs has a head start.​

Weaknesses: Pass rush looks light, Parsons may be doubled, can they stop the run? Hurts to have Bland miss 6-8 weeks.​

New starters on defense: LB Eric Kendricks, DE Marshawn Kneeland, CB Caelon Carson​

2024 OFFENSE

Strengths: Dak is a solid QB, Lamb is a big weapon, TE Ferguson is a young star and young OL may get better as season goes on.​

Weaknesses: Can we run the ball and protect the QB with two OL rookies this year? Weakness at RB makes running game a problem.​

2024 New Starters offense: LT Tyler Guyton, WR Jalen Tolbert, RB Zeke Elliott or Rico D, C Cooper Bebee

Is the 2024 roster “better” than 2023? Obviously too early to tell, but on paper it is not as strong. Anytime you START 4 rookies - two each in both sides of the ball there will be growing pains. Huge question marks in the running game and the defense s’s ability to stop the run. But this is still a good if not great roster.

How do you compare the 2023 roster to this year? Better? Or not?

The talent on this roster has gone down every year since we lost to Jimmy G and the 49ers in the playoffs. The reason we lost then AND the reason we lost since....is the same. So I am not sure what the STRATEGY is to avoid losing the SAME way every year

Can you stop the run against teams that want to run it....and can you run it when you want to?

• Running it when you want to is necessary at some point over a 4-game postseason stretch...especially if you have to deal with inclimate weather or your QB is not playing well at times over that 4 game stretch or your defense is struggling to get off the field
• Stopping the run is necessary because your opposition is in the same predicament as you are in terms of needing to run it. Ain't but 1 or 2 QBs in the NFL that you can put it on their arm for 4 games.

Targeting CD 15 times a game is great and all during the regular season. Do you really think good teams and coaches (which is what you face in the playoffs) are going to let CeeDee dominate them for 4 straight games? And I am not against CeeDee or Dak getting their market value, but if Jerry is the experienced GM he CLAIMS to be...it is not rocket science what they need to do take those 12 - 5 teams to the next level. They could have had Bobby Wagner years ago, they could have signed Derrick Henry this offseason. Don't let this front office lie to you. They were not interested in either. All Wagner did was make ALL Pro the year he SHOULD have been in Dallas. We will see what Derrick Henry does this year.

And even the Dalvin Cook signing, Jane Slater reported that they TRUST their own, so they want to see what their own do before pushing the Dalvin Cook button. For those of us that TRULY pay attention, that mindset is not new, so we should not be shocked WHY those aforementioned players were not brought in to help push this 12-5 team to the next level

 

[plymkr]

Smith could not be counted on and he wasn’t dominant anymore. I say that makes that even.

Carson< Gillmore (Bland will return)
Beebe > Biadasz
Tolbert = or > a washed Gallup
Phillips+Joseph> Hankins
Kendricks > LVE
Overshown will be an impact player.
Diggs is a top 3 corner that can change the game.

RB is the significant drop off and I will rue not getting Henry for a 2nd time.

Yeah, I really wish we got Henry. I’d feel much confident in our run game.

 

[DuncanIso]

Sorry I couldn’t graph this better….

Rico…RB1?

That’s a stretch.

Good stuff though.

 

[John813]

• We lost DE depth big time. Gone are Fowler, Armstrong and Williams(IR). Guys who played in a rotation last year
  • To be determined on how fast Kneeland can get up to speed/effective snap count.
  • Brought in some Free agents over the past month, to be determined on how serviceable they are
• Gained depth and starting talent at linebacker. Liked LVE, but with his neck injury the dude was just at that overall average line and negative in the run game.
  • Kendricks should be an improvement all around. We'll see how the young guys step up.
• Offensively, for me, all eyes are on Guyton. No doubt the injury history of Tyron Smith was an issue, but Guyton has huge shoes to fill.
  • He has looked promising to date. Has a welcome to the NFL matchup in week 1.
  • Beebe/Hoffman shouldn't be a drop off from Biadasz.
  • A healthier Steele should be way better than the guy we saw out there last year. Recovery time to play and recovery time to get back to 100% are two different timetables. Hopefully, he's closer to 100% now.
• Running back depth chart is meh. But I don't think it's terrible. Just not going to have a lot of explosive plays from the group. A lot of ground and pound runs.

 

[Bobhaze]

Rico…RB1?

That’s a stretch.

Good stuff though.

Yeah. Any of our RBs as starters are a stretch, lol.

 

[Bobhaze]

The talent on this roster has gone down every year since we lost to Jimmy G and the 49ers in the playoffs. The reason we lost then AND the reason we lost since....is the same. So I am not sure what the STRATEGY is to avoid losing the SAME way every year

Can you stop the run against teams that want to run it....and can you run it when you want to?

• Running it when you want to is necessary at some point over a 4-game postseason stretch...especially if you have to deal with inclimate weather or your QB is not playing well at times over that 4 game stretch or your defense is struggling to get off the field
• Stopping the run is necessary because your opposition is in the same predicament as you are in terms of needing to run it. Ain't but 1 or 2 QBs in the NFL that you can put it on their arm for 4 games.

Targeting CD 15 times a game is great and all during the regular season. Do you really think good teams and coaches (which is what you face in the playoffs) are going to let CeeDee dominate them for 4 straight games? And I am not against CeeDee or Dak getting their market value, but if Jerry is the experienced GM he CLAIMS to be...it is not rocket science what they need to do take those 12 - 5 teams to the next level. They could have had Bobby Wagner years ago, they could have signed Derrick Henry this offseason. Don't let this front office lie to you. They were not interested in either. All Wagner did was make ALL Pro the year he SHOULD have been in Dallas. We will see what Derrick Henry does this year.

And even the Dalvin Cook signing, Jane Slater reported that they TRUST their own, so they want to see what their own do before pushing the Dalvin Cook button. For those of us that TRULY pay attention, that mindset is not new, so we should not be shocked WHY those aforementioned players were not brought in to help push this 12-5 team to the next level

Excellent points.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I think the potential is there for this to be true, but I think you're undervaluing what we actually lost. I'm a huge Guyton fan, but year 1 expecting him to replace an all pro is possible but not likely. Dorrance Armstrong really doesnt have a replacement on the roster yet. I'm a bigger fan of Beebe year 2 than year 1, but I'm in the minority on that.

I'm not undervaluing any loss. Who did they lose thats so important? If you tell me Tyron I'll counter that with injury history and he played far more than expected last year. In fact, just one year ago many thought the Cowboys were crazy counting on him. Guyton will be more than fine.

Armstrong got replaced in the 2nd round with Kneeland. Beebe should be better in year 2. Any player should be. But Beebe will be better than what the Cowboys have had at center for a while.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Rico…RB1?

That’s a stretch.

Good stuff though.

Doesn't matter who starts. RBBC.

 

[Aven8]

The two biggest question marks going into the season are OT and DE. If Guyton isn’t ready, or even goes down we have NO one who can come and replace them.

If Dlaw were to go down we have no once to replace him.

The depth at those two positions are paper thin.

 

[RD21]

Are we regular season champs again, only to choke in the playoffs once more..?

That's my real issue. Dak on offense, & Micah on defense looked like MVP's through the regular season. They both forgot to pack a lunch come post season. They both looked average at best in the playoff loss. Looked gassed, frustrated, and lacking when we played solid teams, and when it mattered most.

How many legit contenders did we beat last year..? 1..? The Lions, and not without some controversy. For the last several years we've been great against average or worse teams, and terrible against solid or legit teams.

It's been awhile since we've been feared in the league. I'm glad I'm old enough to have seen us play in those days, and desperately want us to get back there. Unfortunately it's hard to believe until we see it.....

 

[thunderpimp91]

I'm not undervaluing any loss. Who did they lose thats so important? If you tell me Tyron I'll counter that with injury history and he played far more than expected last year. In fact, just one year ago many thought the Cowboys were crazy counting on him. Guyton will be more than fine.

Armstrong got replaced in the 2nd round with Kneeland. Beebe should be better in year 2. Any player should be. But Beebe will be better than what the Cowboys have had at center for a while.

The injury concern with Tyron is a real thing but the problem is if we are just comparing 2023 vs 2024 we have to acknowledge that Tyron played in 14 games and was named an all pro at the position. That is the type of production you need to replace just to break even. Guyton could have a very good season as a rookie and still fall short of that standard. Its very possible that Tyron Smith only plays 8 games this year, Guyton has a great rookie season and is the better player in 2024, but it still would most likely be a downgrade from what the Cowboys received at LT in 2023.

Dorrance Armstrong I'll flat out disagree with you on. This was the #2 sack guy in Dallas least year and has been in on 9 sacks each of the last two years. Kneeland should be a fine player in this league, but once again we are setting up these guys for failure if the expectation is that he needs to replace Armstrongs production as its unlikely. Kneeland is a plus run defender (better than Armstrong) who should see a ton of snaps, but is going to be a project as a pass rusher. He very well may get there at some point, but the Cowboys have not done a very good job finding another pass rusher to replace Armstrong. Kneeland is doubtful to replicate Armstrong as his pressure rates last year were similar to Max Crosby. Thats where the Cowboys have failed at DE is replacing the pass rush Armstrong and even Fowler gave you last year. Especially if Parsons is going to play more LB this season they are extremely thin at end.

Center we will just wait and see, Beebe certainly has the physical skills to be an upgrade, but the C position can be difficult to transition to, and this thought process that anyone with a pulse would be better than Biadasz is just false. We are still yet to see what Biadasz can really do in a live game. We know he can be a physically dominant force at times, but also saw in preseason that he doesnt look as comfortable playing at the 2nd level. Plus once defensive schemes get more complex how does he do with protection calls, mike points, helping the QB with blitz recognition, etc? Now I'm sure that Dak and Zach Martin will be helping out with some of those calls, but you really want you Center to be that 2nd set of eyes for your QB as he has the best viewpoint other than your QB. If that C can be dependable then your QB can break the huddle, focus on where the safeties are, identify coverage, where he wants to go with the ball, snap the ball quicker if he wants tempo, etc.

I think the Cowboys hit a home run with this 2024 draft class, dont get me wrong, but we have put a ton of pressure on these guys to come in and elevate this team day 1, when that type of expectations on multiple picks from a rookie class is just unrealistic. These guys are learning to adjust to the NFL while also learning new schemes and several of them new positions. We can still be optimistic, but have to tap the breaks a little bit here or else the talk will be about them mostly being busts by week 4.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Kneeland is doubtful to replicate Armstrong as his pressure rates last year were similar to Max Crosby.

Kneeland wasn't drafted for his pass rushing ability.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Kneeland wasn't drafted for his pass rushing ability.

Exactly, so he really isn't a Dorance Armstrong replacement. That's an area the Cowboys really failed at this offseason as they really didn't land even a rotational pass rush guy to replace the production of Armstrong & Fowler. I think DLaw can be one of those guys, but hes also shown in recent years that he needs plays off. We are really counting on Gholston/Lawson to step up an be players. If not this really has a ripple effect on the rest of the defense, especially in terms of what you can do with Micah.

 

[DuncanIso]

The injury concern with Tyron is a real thing but the problem is if we are just comparing 2023 vs 2024 we have to acknowledge that Tyron played in 14 games and was named an all pro at the position. That is the type of production you need to replace just to break even. Guyton could have a very good season as a rookie and still fall short of that standard. Its very possible that Tyron Smith only plays 8 games this year, Guyton has a great rookie season and is the better player in 2024, but it still would most likely be a downgrade from what the Cowboys received at LT in 2023.

Dorrance Armstrong I'll flat out disagree with you on. This was the #2 sack guy in Dallas least year and has been in on 9 sacks each of the last two years. Kneeland should be a fine player in this league, but once again we are setting up these guys for failure if the expectation is that he needs to replace Armstrongs production as its unlikely. Kneeland is a plus run defender (better than Armstrong) who should see a ton of snaps, but is going to be a project as a pass rusher. He very well may get there at some point, but the Cowboys have not done a very good job finding another pass rusher to replace Armstrong. Kneeland is doubtful to replicate Armstrong as his pressure rates last year were similar to Max Crosby. Thats where the Cowboys have failed at DE is replacing the pass rush Armstrong and even Fowler gave you last year. Especially if Parsons is going to play more LB this season they are extremely thin at end.

Center we will just wait and see, Beebe certainly has the physical skills to be an upgrade, but the C position can be difficult to transition to, and this thought process that anyone with a pulse would be better than Biadasz is just false. We are still yet to see what Biadasz can really do in a live game. We know he can be a physically dominant force at times, but also saw in preseason that he doesnt look as comfortable playing at the 2nd level. Plus once defensive schemes get more complex how does he do with protection calls, mike points, helping the QB with blitz recognition, etc? Now I'm sure that Dak and Zach Martin will be helping out with some of those calls, but you really want you Center to be that 2nd set of eyes for your QB as he has the best viewpoint other than your QB. If that C can be dependable then your QB can break the huddle, focus on where the safeties are, identify coverage, where he wants to go with the ball, snap the ball quicker if he wants tempo, etc.

I think the Cowboys hit a home run with this 2024 draft class, dont get me wrong, but we have put a ton of pressure on these guys to come in and elevate this team day 1, when that type of expectations on multiple picks from a rookie class is just unrealistic. These guys are learning to adjust to the NFL while also learning new schemes and several of them new positions. We can still be optimistic, but have to tap the breaks a little bit here or else the talk will be about them mostly being busts by week 4.

Biadasz is an excellent C.

All American / All Conf / Rimington Trophy /Pro Bowl.

He’s made his money now.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Biadasz is an excellent C.

All American / All Conf / Rimington Trophy /Pro Bowl.

He’s made his money now.

I agree, I think hes a solid NFL player. I don't think hes in that elite category for the position, but I also don't think replacing him is going to be as smooth of a transition as people think it will be.

 

[blueblood70]

...good comparison write up, Bullet.

I'm basically calling this year teams and last a draw.

We did lose some quality players on defense. But the trade and draft brought some light in those areas.

LVE will be missed, but Hendricks gives the needed confidence. Hanky is another, but we got Joseph and Phillips. Mazi still work in progress.

Offensively, Guyton is huge addition. Hoffman/Bebbe look promising. Everything else is in place.

My biggest concern is the schedule, its brutal.

Still set on 10-7 with needing help into playoffs.

X2

LB core deeper.
DT deeper
WR core deeper

CB weaker to start until bland gets back
RB room-even but OL improving with physicality and size could make it more efficient.

add in the swing ages between the added vets and the Rooks plus we will count on make it a draw.. BUT Zimmer breaks the tie i believe we will be far more consistent on D no matter the level of team they meet. Less flash more do your job..

 

[DuncanIso]

Kneeland wasn't drafted for his pass rushing ability.

He looks stout.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

The pass defense was the Cowboys' defensive problem last year, not the run defense. The run game issues were a product of not being able to cover anybody, more often than not.

The improved LB room should make a difference, but there's a serious lack of pass rushers.