ESPN's Bill Barnwell: Cowboys have worst group of WRs in the league

[HowardC]

Why not? They were 8th last year, per the NFL team stats page, based on yards allowed per game. They were 13th in total points allowed, 10th in yards allowed per play, and guess who led the league in forced fumbles? Dallas Cowboys. The added VanderEsch, Ealy and Armstrong. Awuzie, Taco and Woods aren't rookies anymore and all showed promise/improvement. Lawrence played all year. Gregory might be able to play. Added a SB champion defensive secondary coach.

Do I expect them to have a top-10 defense?

Who knows? Too early to tell, but I think it's very possible...

It is possible but I just feel that the interior DL is gonna be their achilles heel. Irving missing 4 games and Collins with another broken foot. I just don't see Ward and ole boy from GB as enough to fortify the DT position.

 

[HowardC]

I agree w/ you in principle. Ravens D was like 13th.

In that playoff run the Ravens D forced P Manning and Brady both into throwing game ending interceptions.

 

[Bleu Star]

This isn't the first time I've heard or seen this mention. To me, it's the reality of challenges facing this offense. It's easy for us as fans to get excited about the number of different weapons for Dak but the truth is, they are all mostly unproven.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24045670/ranking-nfl-best-worst-offensive-arsenals-weapons-2018
NFL's best and worst offensive arsenals: 32-1 weapons ranking
Jul 11, 2018

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  Bill BarnwellESPN Staff Writer

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If you had to list the reasons why the Eagles went from last place in the NFC East to Super Bowl LII champions in 12 months, weapons wouldn't be far from the top.

General manager Howie Roseman went out last year and transformed what Carson Wentz was working with by adding LeGarrette Blount, Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith in free agency. Corey Clement worked his way into the rotation as a replacement for the injured Darren Sproles. Nelson Agholor took Jordan Matthews' spot and evolved from failed first-round pick into an effective slot receiver. Throw in the Dolphins scapegoating Jay Ajayi for their problems and Philly's trio of effective tight ends, and you have a group of weapons that was able to help propel Wentz to an MVP-caliber campaign and keep Nick Foles afloat in the postseason
Kalen Ballage.

Dallas Cowboys[/paste:font]
When you remove that dominant offensive line and quarterback Dak Prescott from the equation, the Cowboys are left with one excellent running back in Ezekiel Elliott and what must surely be the worst receiving corps in football. The four tight ends vying to replace Jason Witten have 94 combined career receiving yards, all of which come from Geoff Swaim. The team's best wideout is Allen Hurns, who had one impressive season in four years with the Jaguars and hasn't been able to stay healthy over the past two seasons. The team is excited about third-round pick Michael Gallup, which is a reflection on the power of hope, but even Tavon Austin has to believe that the organizational plan to give the former Rams wideout 12 to 24 touches per game on offense is too much Tavon Austin

Awesome click bait. Can the author also please tell us how much he likes the Cowboys as an entity? My guess is not very much.

Boy bye.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

It is possible but I just feel that the interior DL is gonna be their achilles heel. Irving missing 4 games and Collins with another broken foot. I just don't see Ward and ole boy from GB as enough to fortify the DT position.

Hope I'm right and you're wrong

 

[ghst187]

Headline: ESPN has the worst set of analysts in the business!!

 

[Blackspider214]

Welp might as well cancel the season. Bill Barnwell said we aren't very good.

 

[Blackspider214]

Headline: ESPN has the worst set of analysts in the business!!

After their mass firings, they hired a bunch of bottom of the rung spares.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Awesome click bait. Can the author also please tell us how much he likes the Cowboys as an entity? My guess is not very much.

Boy bye.

Per Wikipedia he's a Giants and Brady fan, so you're guess is correct....

 

[kskboys]

In that playoff run the Ravens D forced P Manning and Brady both into throwing game ending interceptions.

Absolutely, and I do agree in principle!!!!

 

[ghst187]

After their mass firings, they hired a bunch of bottom of the rung spares.

And doubled down on one of their big reasons for losing viewers, the political garbage.

 

[Baileyneverfailey]

Dez commanded attention. Defenses needed to account for him. Even in 2016. Eventually, defenses figured out Dez didn't need to be double covered and the offense seized up and Dez got frustrated. At that point Dez became more of a liability than an asset.

These WR's scare nobody. Most NFL defenses will be more than happy moving their safeties up near the LOS and leave their CB's on an island with the Cowboys WR's and feel comfortable they can handle it. And they will be right.

Will the offense be able to hit medium and deep routes forcing the safeties back and open up running lanes for Zeke? It's not impossible but I have my doubts

Dez wasn't commanding attention in the 3 game stretch where he was on the bench in 2016 and we still won without him.

That's what our offense will have to look like this year if we're going to succeed. Will it work? I don't know, but nobody does until the games are played.

 

[MarcusRock]

Pedestrian receivers is what we got. Considering we have a former Chicago Bear in our group, and they had the absolute worst corps of receivers last year, is all you need to know when you rank our receivers. The only ray of hope is Gallup. The rest of them are 3rd stringers anywhere else.

This is why I say there's reason for concern. If we're hoping for a 3rd round WR who's not even the blue chip of the draft class to be our hero then that's a shaky prospect. Doesn't mean it can't work out but on paper I'm sure defensive coordinators are not losing sleep in the days leading up to game time.

 

[Number1]

The article is more for "Dak is the worst qb in the league." If we have wr's that have more speed, can run a route and actually separate than last years group overall, then it is Dak. And btw, that writer has the worse hair in the league. Too funny.

the added speed assumes Dak will be on his feet behind the 2018 OL - they want to stretch the field

 

[Dre11]

This isn't the first time I've heard or seen this mention. To me, it's the reality of challenges facing this offense. It's easy for us as fans to get excited about the number of different weapons for Dak but the truth is, they are all mostly unproven.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24045670/ranking-nfl-best-worst-offensive-arsenals-weapons-2018
NFL's best and worst offensive arsenals: 32-1 weapons ranking
Jul 11, 2018

• 
  
  Bill BarnwellESPN Staff Writer

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Facebook Messenger
• Pinterest
• Email
• print

If you had to list the reasons why the Eagles went from last place in the NFC East to Super Bowl LII champions in 12 months, weapons wouldn't be far from the top.

General manager Howie Roseman went out last year and transformed what Carson Wentz was working with by adding LeGarrette Blount, Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith in free agency. Corey Clement worked his way into the rotation as a replacement for the injured Darren Sproles. Nelson Agholor took Jordan Matthews' spot and evolved from failed first-round pick into an effective slot receiver. Throw in the Dolphins scapegoating Jay Ajayi for their problems and Philly's trio of effective tight ends, and you have a group of weapons that was able to help propel Wentz to an MVP-caliber campaign and keep Nick Foles afloat in the postseason
Kalen Ballage.

Dallas Cowboys[/paste:font]
When you remove that dominant offensive line and quarterback Dak Prescott from the equation, the Cowboys are left with one excellent running back in Ezekiel Elliott and what must surely be the worst receiving corps in football. The four tight ends vying to replace Jason Witten have 94 combined career receiving yards, all of which come from Geoff Swaim. The team's best wideout is Allen Hurns, who had one impressive season in four years with the Jaguars and hasn't been able to stay healthy over the past two seasons. The team is excited about third-round pick Michael Gallup, which is a reflection on the power of hope, but even Tavon Austin has to believe that the organizational plan to give the former Rams wideout 12 to 24 touches per game on offense is too much Tavon Austin

Really? Look at the guy that’s doing the rankings. Who takes him serious....lol

 

[Jarv]

Well, I guess we could run the Wishbone this year.

 

[BigD_95]

It's funny all this debate about the Cowboys' receiving corps. Last night on NFL Network they were saying how Dak needed a receiver that can win on his routes and gain separation; and that he doesn't have one this season.

Umm, did he have one last year? Dez is still unemployed for a reason. Let's put Antonio Brown or Julio Jones on waivers and see how long they last.

The Cowboys don't need Allen Hurns, Michael Gallup, etc. to be superstars. They just need them to get open and hold onto the ball. A team can have one guy catch 90 passes for 1,450 yards and 10 TD's. If the Cowboys have three guys that can produce 30 catches for 450 yards and 3 or 4 TD's each; in this run-first offense it's the same thing.

I agree with everything but your sample.

Having 3 guys put up the equal of those numbers is not the same because when Dez was good and putting up those numbers, there was still another 3 guys putting up numbers on top of those big numbers. Make no mistake our passing numbers overall are coming down. That doesn't mean its a bad thing in a run first offense. But this team isn't throwing the ball around like it did in the past.

I completely agree that Dez should of been cut and we are going in the right direction. So I'm not a Dez apologist.

 

[BigD_95]

Having to have to have the "true" no. 1 receiver to win titles is NOT a requirement, though it's nice to have.

Is Julio Jones a "true" no. 1 receiver? Sure. Have the Falcons won a SB? No. When Randy Moss had 25 receiving tds in a season did the Pats win the SB? No. Terrell Owens is in the HOF, did any of his teams, with which he had huge seasons, win the SB? No. Ravens won a SB with a tight end as their leading receiver. Eagles just won one, their two top receivers both had less than 800 yards receiving, and neither had as many as 10 receiving tds. The SB teams together had the no. 9 and no. 30th ranked wide receivers, and no. 9 was Gronk, a tight end (sort of). Deandre Hopkins led the league with 13 tds, Antonio Brown led the league with 1,533 yards. Neither made the SB.

Now Brown and others' teams are very good, no doubt it's nice to have the monster receiver. But it's not essential.

So what if the Cowboys' receivers aren't all All Pros. It's not the kiss of death for not being a good team....

Very good post! I am concerned that we need to have a top dominate defense to play this kind of game though. Not sure if we are there yet. I like the direct this team is going in.

 

[TwoDeep3]

I'm not talking about the developing plays that show the finer things that we don't always see on camera. I'm simply talking about the eyeball test when the ball comes out and it's obvious where it was supposed to go, or when a wr runs the wrong route, or when the QB struggles vs the same coverage over several weeks(if that happens again), or if the QB is using the pocket or making bad decisions making the OL look bad. Sure we don't see everything, but we can at least get a general idea of what's going on by simply watching the game.

Edit: my phone hates editing on this forum

When its obvious....so you know the play called, the reads the receiver and QB are looking for, and how the defense played the receiver throughout the route, and the defensive front seven played this play to cause disruption and moving the quarterback off the spot where the point of attach originated?

I reject the notion fans who watch this game, and in the normal telecast do not show all 22 on the field at the snap, while focusing on all the routes, blocks, stunts and twists and QB at the same time, that anyone can know for certain why a play breaks down.

Much less think people sitting at home have a professional level understanding of this game to know all the things above.

For years I suffered through the people claiming they knew the play before the snap.

Well, let's see, it's either going to be a run or a pass. Well, it's third an 8, chances are it will be a pass. Unless in the scouting report the OC understands on third and 8 in this portion of the field at this time in the game their tendencies are to edge rush, while dropping back a defensive lineman to clog a passing lane therefore they are liable to leave the middle open for the lead draw.

The facts about Dak from last season was clearly Dez losing a step and his attitude sucked. Beasley was bracketed to take away that outlet. Williams had a crappy season. Zeke was not on the field, Smith was injured and missed time. The team allowed their LG to walk during the previous off season. The team had no option for back-ups in case of injury or misjudging Leary's replacement. And defenses were playing 8 man fronts and blitzing to throw Dak out of his comfort pocket and timing.

People say he cannot throw deep, yet he can when he has time. He plays a safer game rather than tossing picks. Why does no one suggest the West Coast offense have QB's that cannot throw deep. Frankly Montana was a noodle arm compared to most QB's.

There is a great deal of assumption about this game by fans that proves to be opinion. Including mine.

 

[HowardC]

Absolutely, and I do agree in principle!!!!

Ok!!!!

 

[HowardC]

Hope I'm right and you're wrong

I hope I'm wrong also...