Face the Facts. Dallas has roster issues

[Sydla]

With this team that is the case.

Then you have a problem beyond who your LG is.

 

[Hardline]

Then you have a problem beyond who your LG is.

Yep. It is what it is. Until that changes we better have an all star line.

 

[Sarge]

8th full year in the "process" and the roster is a mess? If at first you don't succeed, try 7 more times.

Yep. He's had more than enough time!

 

[Hardline]

I wish this team could throw together a great offense line with late rounders but they can't.

 

[Proximo]

If our roster is a mess, then just about every team in the league's roster is a mess.

Get a grip OP.

 

[Proximo]

I wish this team could throw together a great offense line with late rounders but they can't.

Yea I don't know of any "great" offensive line that consists of a bunch of late rounders.

 

[Seth5545]

We are not in dire need of a LG. Cooper is serviceable.

What we are in need of is competent coaching along the OL and offense.

It’s amazing that people think the difference between this being a blah OL and an elite one is the LG.

Geezus.

Completely agree, its just horrible coaching at this point.

 

[Sydla]

Yep. It is what it is. Until that changes we better have an all star line.

You should be able to have an all star OL without having to use the 19th pick on an OG.

Think about what you are saying............... you are saying that a rookie OG at 19 will be so good he will overcome coaching and scheme deficiencies and make the other 4 players, 3 of which are All-Pros and the best at their respective positions, better?

That's insanity. Big time insanity.

 

[jazzcat22]

I don’t think the defense is a total mess. We made some strides last year .

We are a stud DT, maybe another DE, a big playmaking LB and or Safety away from being a top 5 to 10 defense.

The D has been improving year to year. Even though I want a new DC and scheme. But it has been improving but way to slowly.
We went from last or near last to middle of the pack, then slowly upward. But as the per game yardage went up and down, the scoring defense been giving up less. It is those leads that they blow at the end of the game or in the 2nd half is what needs to be improved.

I agree, a stud DT and a stub LB or actually 2 LB's and LB depth is the major needs.
S is 3rd. A DE if Tapper and Gregory do not work out. If Gregory is reinstated, and a healthy Tapper with Taco's 2nd year. I think DE is less of a need unless a DE drops to us in the draft.

We finished what 8th in D last year, but now we need some play makers to have that killer instinct to finish off the games when needed. We really haven't had that since Haley. Ware was great but he really didn't have that many game finishing sacks or not many memorable ones. Maybe because those years were wasted because the rest of the team was not that great. It is all subjective at that point.

 

[Sydla]

The defense isn't a total mess but there are more holes than people realize.

We fielded a mediocre defense last year by just about any measure other than total yards per game. People loved what Lawrence did but do they realize even with Lawrence's breakout season, the Cowboys were middle of the pack in the NFL in sacks and QB pressures?

They still didn't generate a lot of turnovers. So middle of the pack in sacks, limited turnovers = mediocre to bad defense.

This team needs another edge player. They need a legit 1 Tech. They need at least one playmaking safety. They need a legit MLB.

That's four players. That's pretty far from being elite.

 

[kskboys]

Yea I don't know of any "great" offensive line that consists of a bunch of late rounders.

Yeah, the 90's Cowboys might be the only great OL in history that was built w/ some castoffs and such. Newton and Tuinei. And yet, Jimmy never quit drafting mid round OLiners.

 

[Diehardblues]

would you say Philly did it in 2?

They already had a good defense just needed a good QB. And who knew they had 2 good QB’s.

If we want to model Eagles we need a top 5 defense and MVP type QB. We don’t appear to have either at this time.

 

[SportsGuru80]

A bit over the top, don't you think?

 

[jsb357]

Yea the weak spot at GM has killed us for years.

 

[Sandyf]

Everyone acts is if Dallas is the only team with "serious" problems and the fact is the other 31 teams have similar problems. Now we care about the Boys and want to match or better the 13-3 season or better it and like Philly this year win a Super Bowl NOW. We aren't to free agency yet and it remains to be seen how we approach it.

What are our needs, well going by everyone and their brother, it is LG, WR, Swing OT, DT, LB, S, RB, TE, DE and CB. So just about every position on the team. The question is what do the coaches and front office view as the most important decisions to be made and I would guarantee they will not match ours. So lets see where we could go at each of those spots assuming that Dallas is going to resign Lawrence and extend Martin at the very least.

LG - Cooper played well but is a free agent also coming off ACL surgery in January so availability is a huge question. Sitton would be a viable candidate but at 31 probably not the long term answer, Looney probably resigns as the G/C backup, that leaves the draft and could be a 2nd day pick depending on who we sign in free agency, but is LG a larger concern to the coaches than LB or S or DT or WR especially in the 1st.

WR - a decision on Dez will be had before free agency, imo and then we will know what is going and where, Moncrief is a likely cheap signing following his coach (our new WR coach), Ridley is really the only true 1st round difference maker but will he fall to #19 and would Dallas take him if he did, Dallas will draft a WR but thinking day 2 of the draft is probably the place

Swing OT - so we know what we fans think of Green but will the coaches give up the OG experiment and let him concentrate on OT where he actually played decent in 2016, will we draft one, yep, but this draft doesn't set up great for OT guys, the combine is going to determine where they go but seriously does anyone think we will draft an OT before the 3rd round, free agency would be great with a guy like Cameron Fleming if he makes it to free agency but Greg Robinson would be more likely and cheaper if we can turn the once high 1st round pick career around

DT - we all want a game changing run stuffer DT, just got to convince the coaches that is what is needed, we probably tender Irving with a 2nd round pick and does anyone really know if we really want to keep him, so many stories on both ends for him, How likely is it that Dallas takes a DT in the 1st round, can't remember us doing it except with Russell Maryland and how long has that been, could see us taking one in maybe the 3rd like Nathan Shepherd, could a free agent come cheap like Wilkerson (nope pipe dream), I wouldn't mind Vea or Payne in the 1st but betting the coaches and front office kill that dream

LB - will we resign Hitchens, doubtful but hopeful, if not it will be a draft of at least a couple of guys, where, probably early on and depending on how the draft board falls wouldn't be surprise to see two in the first 4 rounds, free agency doesn't really have anything but backups and old ones at that but hey we never know. Hoping Edmunds falls to 19 (another pipe dream) or Vander Esch. Can't see going into 2018 hoping Smith has regained everything and Lee will play every game, going to be some action at LB

S - we can dream about Derwin James but might be satisfied with Ronnie Harrison in 2nd then again seems like the Coach Ricard can find those great picks in later rounds, again free agency could provide Dougald but a trade for a safety just doesn't fit what we do anymore, could be interesting on this front

RB - betting we draft one with one of our comp picks and it will be one that is similar to what Lance Dunbar was, small, quick, catches ball out of the backfield a lot

TE - seems like most feel we need one early in the draft but do we really know how the coaches feel about Gathers and Jarwin, feeling we draft one but more with comp pick in 4th or 5th round like it or not

DE - facing the facts, you can never have enough good DEs so if one is there in the draft betting they go that route over other positions with maybe exception of CB, this isn't shaping up as a very good DE draft so not expecting the top 3 DEs to fall to us and after that and watching film you could get a decent one in the later rounds

CB - I believe we have some good ones in Awuzie, Lewis, Brown and Jones (betting he is move to CB) but betting we draft one or two in the draft

First steps first and that is tagging/resigning Lawrence and extending Martin, then deciding on who else we keep, who else we cut, who else of our own we resign, then comes free agency and the dream we do something big but knowing we won't, then the draft where I will be going for the three days and hope many on this board will be there. See ya soon!

 

[exciter]

I’ll respect your opinion, but mine is that Cooper is garbage and unlikely to be resigned. Even before Tyron was injured, the OL struggled because Cooper is wildly inconsistent.

It's the left guard, playing between your all pro left tackle and all pro center. It's typically the weakest position on your line because their getting help. It's why Martin was put on the right side and why Leary was moved to the right side after being signed for 9m a season average. They should be able to fill this position with a modest contract fa or a mid level draft pick. Their issue this year was not having a serviceable backup at swing tackle. For whatever reason Green menatally imploded and the other was a career failure as a right tackle so not exactly sure what they were expecting differently. They should be able to have a functional line without every one on it being a 1st round pick!

 

[gjkoeppen]

2014, we had an offense hitting on all cylinders...run game, OL, Witten, Dez. Our problem was the defense was garbage, pretty much top to bottom. Four years later, we finally started to address the defense, but we all see a defense that still needs a DT, and most want him in round 1. Our LBs are probably the worst part of the defense. Everyone’s LBs get hurt; that’s the nature of the game. Yet we have our star defender in his 30’s, and even if the stars align and Hitchins resigns, Lee stays healthy, and Smith pans out, we still have no depth or future at the position. The secondary is young and talented, but everyone still feels there’s a need for at least 1 safety and another CB. That’s a lot of defensive work to be done, work that doesn’t even suggest we should find another DE.

The bigger problem is that while we are trying to rebuild the defense, the offense has gone backwards and will continue to regress without a lot of attention.

As an offense built around it’s OL and run game, we are in DIRE need of a LG and a backup LT (we can call it a swing tackle, but the fact is we need a guy who can step in at LT). We also need another quality RB. We are not the Packers. If Zeke so much as sprains an ankle, how many really want Smith as our RB? He is not the answer for a team that must run the ball. Albert Morris was not the answer because teams played the pass and didn’t care if he got 80-100 yards. At his best in 2018, Dez is not a playmaker, and the depth at WR is garbage. So we need a guard, a tackle, a RB, and a WR, not to mention the TE position unless we think the answer is Rico or Jarwin. The offense, the unit we count on to win games while we try to build a moderately successful defense that can hold a lead, is in pretty bad shape right now even if Dak plays well.

No way all those issues can be addressed this offseason, so what’s the answer? At 19, Do we need a DT more than we need a starting LG or a playmaking WR that drops in our laps? At 50, do we need a starting LB more than DL or DB, a RB more than a TE or OT?

It’s hard to say, but the DL and secondary may be the best units with the most depth for an NFL season than any other position. Cooper Rush is our answer at QB if we are on a special run? Smith behind Zeke? The OL is weak with Cooper already, but imagine 1 injury along that line...other than Center, we have nothing.

I’m sorry folks, but this roster is a mess, and don’t tell me that better coaches can take Rush, Smith, Swaim, Chaz Green, DWilson, Wilber, and TWilliams and just coach em up.

With the exception of a very small handful of teams, the problems or types of problems you brought up exist on most teams. Since the cap started no team has great depth at every position.

As far as your question of LG, I believe the Cowboys blew that last season when they had Collins who played LG pretty well for an injured Leary for most of a season and then moved Collins to RT which means that once best in the league line had a 40% change to start 2017. I've been saying since that move that the Cowboys should have left Collins at LG and just get a replacement at RT, probably Green. But instead they moved Collins to a position he never played a single season snap at in the NFL and moved Green who never played the guard position at any time in his career to LG and thought this would work out. These 2 moves is what I believe were the real cause for the decline of play from 2016 and 2017. It also proves that both Leary and Free were far better than both Collins and Green.
.

 

[DHCBF66]

We are not in dire need of a LG. Cooper is serviceable.

What we are in need of is competent coaching along the OL and offense.

It’s amazing that people think the difference between this being a blah OL and an elite one is the LG.

Geezus.

Bell flat out sucks. He needs to be playing between Tyron and Freddy to even look "serviceable". Go back and watch the nightmare games when Tyron wasn't playing.

 

[CouchCoach]

The question is do you think it is further away than closer to complete?

It seems the blueprint may be the root of the problem and I see a lot of "if we only had this" type posting. Ask yourself another question, is that a fundamental building block of an offense or defense or an add on?

Offense? That's easy, get your QB, and that's undecided so far, and the OL and they had it close but then it regressed so that is not complete. The receiving corps is a different issue but it starts up front.

Defense? Well that depends on how you think it should be built but imo, it all starts in the middle and that is where they have failed. It's not the front 7, it is the middle 5. 2 DT's, 1 MLB and 2 Safeties. That not only shuts down the run but the soft middle of the field. The straight line being the shortest distance between two points. Who starts at those positions for the Cowboys?

The anchor of a good run D is that stud DT and if he's a backfield wrecker like Donald, all the better but he is a run stopper first. And he occupies the OL double team to keep OL off the backers.

Do the Cowboys have a top 10 player at any of those 5 D positions? That's 50 players on 32 teams and they do not have 1.

They can get a lot closer than further away in this draft but that all depends on the positions first, not necessarily the players. Most teams will have the same 2 DT's on their boards, whether they're in the market or not. If the Cowboys take the best DT available, they've done what they could. If not, they do not agree with me on how to build a defense. But, I cannot see a contending D without that foundation first.

 

[Sydla]

Bell flat out sucks. He needs to be playing between Tyron and Freddy to even look "serviceable". Go back and watch the nightmare games when Tyron wasn't playing.

I never mentioned Bell.