How Does Dallas' offseason stack up to other contenders?

[windjc]

Dallas has had a debatably good offseason (probably debated more on other teams' forums than on here). Added strength to DL/DE - although how much we don't know due to several factors. Added depth to OL (although lost a good swing tackle). Added captain LB. Added potential good CB ("good" is optimistic for a rookie at that position). Lost good/very good RB.

However a lot of other teams had pretty good off seasons too.

1. Eagles improved QB (we are assuming no injuries in any of this analysis). Improved RB (depth at the very least). Improved LB. Improved Secondary.

2. Giants. Added Cruz back. Offense in 2nd year of new system with best potential receiver combo in league.

3. Seattle. Improved TE. Retain most key parts to championship.

4. GB. Improved receiving core while retaining most key parts to very good team.

5. Patriots. Retained parts to championship team.

6. Vikings. 2nd year for rising QB. Added Peterson. Improved good defense.

7. Cardinals. Retained major pieces to very good defense. Got QB back. Improved RB. Improved OL.

Other teams that improved - Jets, Bills and Dolphins (3 2015 opponents).

The level of play looks to be as high as ever this upcoming year in the battle for Superbowl 2015.

 

[JBS]

Every team thinks they improved in X areas....via free agency or the draft...the reality is most of them are wrong and most of those players won't pan out this season

Doesn't matter what it appears to be on paper...these teams need to go out and prove it and nobody knows how that will unfold

 

[Craig]

I considered the Patriots pretty huge winners when they got their NT at the end of the first...after keeping that first and losing it next year. That was going to be a pretty huge loss for them. Dallas has to be looked at as the biggest improvement. I would expect a league wide vote to put them and Philly at the top of their lists, though I think Philly just did what all Philly teams do and invested in good players while paying them money that should go to great players over term that should go to no players.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Dallas has had a debatably good offseason (probably debated more on other teams' forums than on here). Added strength to DL/DE - although how much we don't know due to several factors. Added depth to OL (although lost a good swing tackle). Added captain LB. Added potential good CB ("good" is optimistic for a rookie at that position). Lost good/very good RB.

However a lot of other teams had pretty good off seasons too.

1. Eagles improved QB (we are assuming no injuries in any of this analysis). Improved RB (depth at the very least). Improved LB. Improved Secondary.

2. Giants. Added Cruz back. Offense in 2nd year of new system with best potential receiver combo in league.

3. Seattle. Improved TE. Retain most key parts to championship.

4. GB. Improved receiving core while retaining most key parts to very good team.

5. Patriots. Retained parts to championship team.

6. Vikings. 2nd year for rising QB. Added Peterson. Improved good defense.

7. Cardinals. Retained major pieces to very good defense. Got QB back. Improved RB. Improved OL.

Other teams that improved - Jets, Bills and Dolphins (3 2015 opponents).

The level of play looks to be as high as ever this upcoming year in the battle for Superbowl 2015.

Debatedly good? We added 3 1st rounders and signed the best pass rusher in free agency.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

Debatedly good? We added 3 1st rounders and signed the best pass rusher in free agency.

while I think everyone is optimistic about our draft class, the impact rookies make, typically is considered a wild card. All three could go on to have hall of fame careers, but that doesn't mean any of them have a meaningful impact this season. To me, we added a pro bowl DE who didn't play at all last season and lost a pro-bowl RB who was unlikely to repeat what he did the previous year. I'd call this a net gain (Hardy's suspension being upheld would change that ), but I'd say Seattle getting Graham, an all pro TE, was the biggest gain of the offseason. We won't know for sure till the games start, but he could really change Seattle's offense and in a way that won't be good for the rest of the NFC.

 

[perrykemp]

It depends on how your measure off-season success.

As Turok mentioned, the Cowboys added 3 first round talent and one of the pass rushing DE in all of football. Pretty good set of additions. On the other hand you need to subtract the leading rusher in the NFL as well as the LB who had the most interceptions for all LBs in the NFL. All in all, the off-season was a positive.

It's a completely different kind of off-season than a team like the Packers that had no interest in participating in free-agency, ie they didn't sign single player who participated in even one offensive or defensive snap in 2014.

How do you even compare two teams like that? It's difficult.

 

[JoeKing]

Nobody had a better offseason than the Cowboys. Three 1st round quality players acquired, the return of Sean Lee, signing Greg Hardy, Romo actually getting to participate in OTAs... it all adds up to a tremendous upgrade to the team come game time.

 

[Szczepanik]

Philly debatable...

They didn't improve the QB position and lost their # 1 WR, #1 pass rush and a handful of other key players. Byron Maxwell, Murray and a mediocre draft with the exception of Rowe doesn't makeup for their average offseason.

 

[Risen Star]

while I think everyone is optimistic about our draft class, the impact rookies make, typically is considered a wild card. All three could go on to have hall of fame careers, but that doesn't mean any of them have a meaningful impact this season. To me, we added a pro bowl DE who didn't play at all last season and lost a pro-bowl RB who was unlikely to repeat what he did the previous year. I'd call this a net gain (Hardy's suspension being upheld would change that ), but I'd say Seattle getting Graham, an all pro TE, was the biggest gain of the offseason. We won't know for sure till the games start, but he could really change Seattle's offense and in a way that won't be good for the rest of the NFC.

I think our class after round 2 is highly questionable. They just got lucky that Geoff Swaim fell through the cracks till the end.

 

[xvendettax914]

What more can you ask for? 3 1st round talents and a premier pass rusher. I mean are people criticizing the fact they didnt get 4? Geesh.

 

[Section446]

Debatedly good? We added 3 1st rounders and signed the best pass rusher in free agency.

To be fair, this year, 2 of those 3 will be situational players.

 

[big dog cowboy]

They just got lucky that Geoff Swaim fell through the cracks till the end.

Stop.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

To be fair, this year, 2 of those 3 will be situational players.

Hard to imagine a better offseason of talent acquisition.

 

[T-RO]

Every team thinks they improved in X areas....via free agency or the draft...the reality is most of them are wrong and most of those players won't pan out this season

Doesn't matter what it appears to be on paper...these teams need to go out and prove it and nobody knows how that will unfold

And the same goes for the Cowboys. Dallas will have to go out and prove it and nobody knows how that will unfold.

 

[Aven8]

Debatedly good? We added 3 1st rounders and signed the best pass rusher in free agency.

Oh and that #55 dude.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Oh and that #55 dude.

I love him. Some have this weird aggression towards him and pretend he quit on the team.

 

[gmoney112]

I guess this topic didn't include the draft.

I'd say McClain and Hardy were both bigger additions than any of the NFC East counterparts.

If you're counting the draft, it's not even close. We had the best draft, on paper, of any team.

 

[windjc]

I guess this topic didn't include the draft.

I'd say McClain and Hardy were both bigger additions than any of the NFC East counterparts.

If you're counting the draft, it's not even close. We had the best draft, on paper, of any team.

Yes, of course it included the draft.

 

[jnday]

To be fair, this year, 2 of those 3 will be situational players.

This is a good point that is constantly overlooked. These rookies are only going to play limited roles this year, but some posters think they will make the defense one of the best in the league. They could do it in a couple of years, but it won't happen this year. This was s very good offseason with the exception of taking s huge step backwards at the RB position. I don't know if a couple rookies playing limited snaps can make up for that.

 

[windjc]

This is a good point that is constantly overlooked. These rookies are only going to play limited roles this year, but some posters think they will make the defense one of the best in the league. They could do it in a couple of years, but it won't happen this year. This was s very good offseason with the exception of taking s huge step backwards at the RB position. I don't know if a couple rookies playing limited snaps can make up for that.

Well, much like the Giants addition of Cruz and the Cardinals getting their QB back, Dallas getting back Lee is a potential game changer.

I agree on the rookies. But Lee, Hardy and the potential development of Lawrence could make the Dallas defense significantly better just by themselves alone.

As for the running back position, I am not so concerned about "yards" as I am about physicality. Murray helped set a tone and an identity that had ripple effects on the team. Dallas needs to replace that "tone." I don't think replacing the yards is that difficult.