How would you rank the biggest needs?

[Risen Star]

1) QB
2) DT
3) TE
4) S
5) DE
6) WR

 

[percyhoward]

1. SEAM - What i mean is someone who can attack the seam. Witten may help solution that, but Beasley walking and old Witten don't make me feel like we're going to challenge the middle of the field more effectively than we did in 2018. And that's an issue. So either TE needs to perform better or we need to find a slot player who can replace Beasley. Or someone has to play outside better and allow Amari Cooper to work the slot.

Last year Dak struggled on intermediate throws outside the numbers.

10-19 yards outside numbers
38 of 71 (54%) 522 yd 4 td 3 int 78.5
all other areas
360 of 520 (69%) 3855 yd 20 td 6 int 98.7

And it was all about the receiver.
10-19 yards outside numbers only
Beasley/Cooper
13 of 18 (72%) 194 1 td 0 int 125.6
all others
25 of 53 (47%) 328 yd 3 td 3 int 62.5

 

[millennial_legend]

This is ridiculous.

That SB winning Seattle team from 2013? Their DL was way more talented than this current Cowboys one. Bennett, Irvin, Mebane, McDaniel, Avril.

Last year's NE team had guys like Danny Shelton, Malcolm Brown, Adrian Clayborn (who would be our 2nd best DE right now). And note, they play a 3-4 so factor in guys like Van Noy as well. Acting like the NE DLs are untalented gaggles is a reach.

I think it's foolish to argue that right now, this team needs a 3rd down scat back AND a slot WR more than it needs another good DE opposite Lawrence or a big time DT.

I don't know where to start with things wrong with your post.

Aside from Irvin, who was primarily a sideline to sideline LB -- blitzed on passing downs, a lot like Jaylon Smith role -- you just named a bunch of average players on the D-line, aside from Bennett who is good but not great and certainly not as good as Lawrence. Mebane was average like Woods or Collins is, McDaniel was a JAG that was cut and signed by a lot of teams, Avril was Mr. Inconsistent. They also had Clemons who was old and had a solid career but by then he was oft injured and washed up.

New England's DL in 2018 was average at best as well. Clayborn is and has always been average to below average, especially as an Edge. Don't let his 25 sacks on Chaz Green in one game fool you; Dan Quinn could have torn up Chaz Green that day. Malcom Brown is the same kind of average to decent player a Maliek Collins or Antwaun Woods is. Danny Shelton is a space eating 1tech in the mold of Dontari Poe, the Chiefs' Derrick Nnadi, old Terrance Knighton etc. But the Cowboys don't employ that type of player. Shelton is a 1 or 2 down nose tackle.

Also, the Patriots mostly play a base 4-3, though they have been known to use the 3-3-5 on passing downs which essentially mimic a 3-4 because the OLBs, usually Hightower and Van Noy, are lined up on the edges. Usually one blitzes and the other drops back. But they're not a base 3-4 team at all.

 

[percyhoward]

I think this thread paints a clear picture of why most people think we lost to the Rams.

 

[buybuydandavis]

TE
DT
RB

I think the signing of Witten says "we like our guys", and won't be drafting a TE high.

S, DT, DE, RB
RB in free agency if we don't find someone we like in the draft. Recall what McFadden did behind our oline. A older vet makes sense, as we're only looking for backup level of carries.

 

[cowboyec]

DT/DE
S
WR
TE
OT
RB
LB
CB

 

[StarBoyz83]

De
DT
S
Lb
Slot
Ol

 

[GenoT]

1) GM
2) Head coach
3) Johnnie Walker Blue

 

[Jake]

I keep seeing safety, and maybe I don't remember all the times we got shredded deep. I understand the lack of making plays, but that's on on corners as well.


I would go
1a) DT
1b) DE
.
.
.
.
3) Tackle (right or left - we can't keep paying this offense crazy money at every position)
4) Safety (of course would prefer a playmaker)
5) LB (I have a feeling Jaylon is going to want a truckload of money)

I assume if you don't sign Beasley (I would have given Witten's money to him), then you can alway put Cooper in the slot when needed. I don't understand bringing Hurns back...don't see how he's more valuable than Beasley.

This is also assuming they are going to go all in on Dak - my biggest concern with him is I believe your QB should make players around you better and I don't know that he does that.

GM
Head Coach
Executive Vice President

 

[CowboysExchange]

Te
#2 wr
#3 wr
Rb
S
Dt
De

 

[morat1959]

Here we go again...in this order. GM, HC, QB and cut Jeff Heath.

 

[75boyz]

I keep seeing safety, and maybe I don't remember all the times we got shredded deep. I understand the lack of making plays, but that's on on corners as well.


I would go
1a) DT
1b) DE
.
.
.
.
3) Tackle (right or left - we can't keep paying this offense crazy money at every position)
4) Safety (of course would prefer a playmaker)
5) LB (I have a feeling Jaylon is going to want a truckload of money)

I assume if you don't sign Beasley (I would have given Witten's money to him), then you can alway put Cooper in the slot when needed. I don't understand bringing Hurns back...don't see how he's more valuable than Beasley.

This is also assuming they are going to go all in on Dak - my biggest concern with him is I believe your QB should make players around you better and I don't know that he does that.

Nice post.

Your tackle concern at number three is my number one altho I know that makes me a minority. I just see those 5 guys (along with competent backups) as THE key for this team to sustain any type of success.
Other than that, I totally agree with your opinions on pretty much everything you listed here and especially at the QB position for the same reason you mentioned as well.

 

[Verdict]

For some reason, our fan says it's DT EVERY year and every year, Stephen and Jerry disagree (lol)

BTW... we STILL don't have a starting TE. Witten signing doesn't change that.....

Backup RB is really high too. If Zeke goes on IR it's going to be a long year.

 

[Verdict]

Your post kind of proves his point. This team simply doesn't invest quality resources into the DT position. They bargain bin it because they don't believe there is any value in spending quality resources on DTs.

I mean look at our current lineup of DTs:

- Collins - 3rd round pick
- Crawford - 3rd round pick but he was drafted initially as a DE
- Woods - UDFA
- Ross - UDFA
- Reid - Journeyman FA

Throw in Irving if you want and he was a cast off from KC.

Don't delude yourself into thinking they haven't invested in the DT position because they haven't found the right guy on the draft or FA. They haven't invested in the DT position because organizationally they simply don't think they need to invest any real assets in the position.

Maybe. But Brockers was in the mix one year.

 

[Sydla]

Personally I think the team believes in 3 techs and devalues 1 techs. We signed Crawford to a big extension after his first good year, then drafted Collins in the 3rd 2 years after that. And then last year, we supposedly had Vita Vea above Vander Esch on our big board.

I think what happened is the draft just hasn't broken our way for DTs.

-Before the '15 draft, we had just paid Crawford.

-In 2016, there was no DT worth the #4 pick and then the 2nd round was Jerry being Jerry. Collins got scooped up in the 3rd.

-In '17, we had a gameplan to add a pass rusher and 2 corners, and looking it up on Wiki, the only DT who would've been worth the pick in the 1st was Malik McDowell (who's never played an NFL snap). After that it was CB time.

-Last year, there just wasn't a DT that was worth the pick in the first 2 rounds. Looking it up, Taven Bryan was the next DT off the board after Vander Esch at #29, and small schooler PJ Hall was the only DT taken in the second.

1T is clearly a churn and burn position for us, but the team is willing to invest in pass rushers, so I wouldn't rule out a DT at all if the right guy is available.

I don’t consider two third round picks investing or putting a premium in the 3T.

This team simply doesn’t value DTs like others do. We believe we can throw mid round picks and bargain FA deals at the position and we’ll do great.

 

[kskboys]

For some reason, our fan says it's DT EVERY year and every year, Stephen and Jerry disagree (lol)

BTW... we STILL don't have a starting TE. Witten signing doesn't change that.....

Because it's true. And it's not just our fans, evaluators and scouts all over the NFL agree. And the reason? Trenches win super bowls. Yes, other positions are important, they all are. However, Weakness in the trenches on either side of the ball sabotages everything you're trying to do. Almost impossible to win a super bowl being weak in the trenches.

 

[Outlaw Heroes]

I think this thread paints a clear picture of why most people think we lost to the Rams.

I think you're being cryptic. I assume you are saying that most are overstating the need at DT? Do you have a statistical analysis that paints a different picture of what the issue was in the loss to the Rams?

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Because it's true. And it's not just our fans, evaluators and scouts all over the NFL agree. And the reason? Trenches win super bowls. Yes, other positions are important, they all are. However, Weakness in the trenches on either side of the ball sabotages everything you're trying to do. Almost impossible to win a super bowl being weak in the trenches.

True but we finished last season #5 in rush defense. That pretty darn good........

 

[kskboys]

do you think stephen and jerry don't agree the dt is important, or there just hasn't been anyone available, either thru free agency or the draft when we pick to fill the position. we certainly bring in lots of guys to try at the position. we drafted Collins, got woods, brought in jihad last year as well as a couple of others. I think they get the point. there just hasn't been anyone available. true run stuffing dt's are as rare as franchise qb's and #1 wr's.

Nope, they pass them up over and over and over. There have been a myriad of quality big guys available in both FA and the draft, and we continuously pass. And they don't even cost that much. Snacks, Poe, Logan, Mebane, Peko, Sylvester Williams, these guys have all been available over the last few seasons, and we don't even bring them in. And they are signing for between 3.5 and 8 mil/season. They're not even expensive.

Meanwhile, in the draft, we don't even look at them, even though several fine prospects have been available. Settle in the 5th, Grady Jarrett in the 5th, Jarran Reed in the 3rd, Tyler Davison in the 5th. Those are just the ones I know of offhand. Houston got their NT in the 6th, and Reader is now considered top 5 in the NFL. We don't even try, as I don't think we understand the position at all. All we ever do is take lanky guys in the late rounds, and they don't ever make it.

 

[kskboys]

True but we finished last season #5 in rush defense. That pretty darn good........

Absolutely. Though most of that was from early season, and we did start showing holes later in the season. One of our issues is that we make it exceptionally hard on our LB's as all too often the ball carrier gets a full run at them due to big holes opened up in the DLine. And this has been going on a long time, as Rats was also not a NT.

This D would take the next step if we would just stop being stubborn about DT and S.