Interesting Roster Scenarios

[Pantone282C]

I'm anxious to see how the WR position ends up. The top 3 are set. After that, who knows? Will the Cowboys go 6 deep there this year?

I think so. One of them seems to get hurt every year.

 

[Pantone282C]

IMO, they won’t keep four TEs on the 53-man roster.

I hope not. Make room for someone else like DB or linemen.

 

[Pantone282C]

Will theykeep 4 TEs? If so,who’s the 4th?

Hope not.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I think so. One of them seems to get hurt every year.

I do too. Very deep bunch. Maybe one gets traded.

 

[Pantone282C]

I do too. Very deep bunch. Maybe one gets traded.

Possibly. I like Brown, but maybe he gets thrown in to a package deal for a backup QB.

 

[CouchCoach]

You’re right about the up and down reporting on players in TC. Anyone who has followed an NFL training camp knows, the hype machine is always most active in August. Some guy who will either not make the roster or will be making tackles on punts and kickoffs will be touted as a possible star for us. It’s one reason I take any TC hype about a young guy with huge grain of salt.

Yep, I don't pay much attention to Cowboys camp because there is so much selling going on but that's their jobs. They start spearing a bunch of players and they won't be allowed at camp.

My favorite sales job has been the one on Rico Gathers. Depends on your perspective for the O or D, but that "no one can guard him" was really funny. But there is some truth to that because if he isn't on the field, he can't be guarded.

I am not a Broaddus fan because he presents himself as an authority on all positions but I am interested in his evaluations of the OL, particularly McGovern, Williams and Collins. Collins gets a lot of mixed reviews from all over the place and we may be premature on his exit and Williams sliding into RT.

Then there's the status of Yosemite and I think the O missed him a lot more than we know. Remember when Stepnowski left? Can't just have the brains of the OL out and cover for that easily.

 

[jnday]

Good choices of positions to watch.

Personally, I'm thinking Mike White does what he didn't do last year, surpass Cooper Rush as the backup.

The new kicker, fingers crossed, has earned the spot... for now.

I genuinely hope Witten has good intentions. Maybe give him a red zone package.
He claims he wants to coach. Taking Jarwin and Schultz under his wing would be
a welcomed change. (Hopeful but also doubtful... lol)

The LG/RT position watch is definitely the most interesting to me. Here's an area
the FO is doing well at adding talent. Drafting McGovern and Williams improvement
gives them leverage in Collins contract talks or more likely a trade.

I always enjoy reading your posts, Bob.

Why are you questioning Witten’s intentions? Witten has always been a real pro and he has always put the team first. At this point, he knows his limitations and his place on the team. Even at his age, he will be the best TE on the team and he can help the team a lot due to the upgraded talent surrounding him.

 

[jnday]

LVE tailed off at the end and we overrate Jaylon. He makes some really flashy plays, but he gets completely lost on others.

When Lee is fully healthy, he controls games. He's a wrecking ball.

When Lee was younger, and healthy, which was rare, he was an outstanding LB, but he has not aged well at all. If LVE and Jaylon are on the field, Lee will be the third best LB behind those two. Lee looked absolutely horrible last year when he was being run over by ball carriers and some of his missed tackles were comically bad. He is just a shell of his former self. I have very low expectations for him, but I wish him the best.

 

[Bobhaze]

Why are you questioning Witten’s intentions? Witten has always been a real pro and he has always put the team first. At this point, he knows his limitations and his place on the team. Even at his age, he will be the best TE on the team and he can help the team a lot due to the upgraded talent surrounding him.

I don’t question Witten’s intentions or his motivations. But I certainly question his 37 year old abilities. Witten MAY be the best TE on the roster, and he may not be. At his age, after taking a year off, there are no guarantees he’s even as good as he was in 2017, which was not one of his “great” seasons. Jason Witten has nothing to prove. He’s a HOFer. I wish he would have stayed retired because I respect him so much.

Very few NFL TEs have great stats over the age of 32. Tony Gonzalez, arguably the greatest TE in football history retired at 37 even though he still caught 83 passes in his final season. Shannon Sharpe, who retired at 35, caught 93 passes in his final season. Some argued they both should have kept playing but they both knew when it was time.

NFL history is littered with great players at multiple positions, even HOFers who too often didn’t know when it was their time to retire. Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Deion Sanders, Jerry Rice, and Junior Seau, all played longer than they should have. In fact, the last year or two of their careers did nothing to bolster their status as an all time great.

This isn’t a bash Jason Witten post. It’s just an honest expression of my respect for what he’s done while realizing the odds are long that he will be what he once was.

 

[blueblood70]

As training camp nears, it’s always fun to speculate what the final roster will look like on opening day. I think we fans too often look at last year's team and assume most people are coming back again to the same role. But as we saw at the end of last year's preseason, Brett Maher was kept instead of Dan Bailey. A big example of a roster surprise most of us didn’t see coming.

Changes happen every year and 2019 will be no exception. It’s probably too early to have an accurate read on what may happen at every position but I still think there are a few positions where changes may happen:

• Backup QB- I think it’s certainly possible that neither Cooper Rush nor Mike White will be the primary backup QB to start the season. If one of them doesn’t emerge in preseason games, I expect to see a veteran backup be picked up after final cuts. As a former 5th round pick, White probably has a longer leash than Rush.

• Kicker- I’m not sure Brett Maher earned the right last year to be called a reliably accurate NFL kicker. He made some big kicks but he also blew a few gimmes too. We may have another K by seasons start. Or Maher may solidify himself. This will be interesting.

• TE- IMO, Jason Witten’s return at age 37 is not necessarily an upgrade at the position. Love Witten but I have a hard time believing he will be the “HOF version” of #82. Blake Jarwin had started to emerge late last season and Dalton Schultz has some upside too. Pretty safe to say the “legend” of Rico Gathers has faded. But Garrett likes to keep 4 TEs. This will be an interesting watch.

• LG/RT- There has been much speculation about these two positions all offseason. Apparently, Connor Williams has bulked up and may finally be ready to step in at LG. Or is he moving to RT? We’ve heard the rumors of a possible La’El Collins trade. Would this year’s 3rd rounder Connor Macgreagor be ready to step in at LG if Williams is moved to RT? Or will Collins stay at RT? This will be an interesting scenario to watch.

What are some roster positions and scenarios you find interesting that may have some surprises this year? Any surprise roster moves you see in the making?

LOL Cwill is FINALLY ready to step up like he was rookie thrown to the wolves last year? does guy get little time to develop?Jeez

Bup qb agree real insurance is needed , need an example Philly and Washington see what happens when QB 1 goes down.. see 2015 LOL mic drop

Kicker depends on what BM does I mean he did have what 16 in row at point did have some big kicks and was little off yes average and how many better then him are available? kickers are like golfers very big mental giants and get the yips quickly..

TE noone really is thinking JW came in to save the world, he feels he had something left and I believe he will not be ball hog and help the others come along an when called upon with less snaps he can be more productive ..

again LG RT pretty much set unless theres huge surprise I doubt change is happening unless injury comes..best depth weve had in years across the line especially interchangeable movable pieces..

 

[Hadenough]

Im really hoping Jarwin steps up and becomes the starting TE. I think Rush is gone and they will expect White to step up. If he doesnt they could bring in a vet. I dont want to see them trade away any CBs because I think they have good depth and you need that. I really want to see the D line players battle it out. Right now this team is pretty solid with starters and depth and this could be the year. Man I cant wait for training camp and the season to start.

 

[Pantone282C]

Im really hoping Jarwin steps up and becomes the starting TE. I think Rush is gone and they will expect White to step up. If he doesnt they could bring in a vet. I dont want to see them trade away any CBs because I think they have good depth and you need that. I really want to see the D line players battle it out. Right now this team is pretty solid with starters and depth and this could be the year. Man I cant wait for training camp and the season to start.

.
Yeah, Jarwin was showing up. Showed some athleticism and savvy.

 

[RoboQB]

Why are you questioning Witten’s intentions? Witten has always been a real pro and he has always put the team first. At this point, he knows his limitations and his place on the team. Even at his age, he will be the best TE on the team and he can help the team a lot due to the upgraded talent surrounding him.

It's a message board. Also, this is America.
I can question anything and everything as long as I do it respectfully.

The original plan was for Witten to not be on the field for his usual 99% of plays.
Now, it's already sounding as if that plan was placed in the round file.

Hey, I hope he has a great year! But he also claims he wants to coach, eventually.
We have some young talent at the position. As I said before, I'd like to see him take
them under his wing. Not sure why anyone would have a problem with that.

 

[Bobhaze]

Yep, I don't pay much attention to Cowboys camp because there is so much selling going on but that's their jobs. They start spearing a bunch of players and they won't be allowed at camp.

My favorite sales job has been the one on Rico Gathers. Depends on your perspective for the O or D, but that "no one can guard him" was really funny. But there is some truth to that because if he isn't on the field, he can't be guarded.

I am not a Broaddus fan because he presents himself as an authority on all positions but I am interested in his evaluations of the OL, particularly McGovern, Williams and Collins. Collins gets a lot of mixed reviews from all over the place and we may be premature on his exit and Williams sliding into RT.

Then there's the status of Yosemite and I think the O missed him a lot more than we know. Remember when Stepnowski left? Can't just have the brains of the OL out and cover for that easily.

LOL! Rico “the unguardable legend” Gathers. As it turned out the only person who could stop Rico was Rico himself. I belly laughed watching him not know the playbook by running the wrong route or trying to block the wrong guy.

And Rico’s star maker plays in preseason, although occasionally spectacular, were usually made against a UFA safety from Northeast South Dakota State who never made an NFL roster. Ah yes, Rico the great, lol. We will all probably miss his greatness.

 

[xwalker]

Why are you questioning Witten’s intentions? Witten has always been a real pro and he has always put the team first. At this point, he knows his limitations and his place on the team. Even at his age, he will be the best TE on the team and he can help the team a lot due to the upgraded talent surrounding him.

I genuinely hope Witten has good intentions. Maybe give him a red zone package.
He claims he wants to coach. Taking Jarwin and Schultz under his wing would be
a welcomed change. (Hopeful but also doubtful... lol)

Witten

- Witten has not been a Sean Lee type of mentor in the past.
- Witten played near 100% of the snaps in 2017.
- He looked sluggish in 2017.
- Playing less snaps is beneficial to almost all older players.
- Witten is likely still good on 3rd and 5 type plays; however,

- His lack of range limited the overall offense in 2017.​

- Jarwin is not Witten but is a better option on some plays.

- Sometimes they need a TE to stretch the field.​

- Witten really struggled with certain blocking assignments in 2017.

- Plays where the TE pulls across the backfield to block backside DE.

- Witten was too slow on those in 2017.​

 

[RoboQB]

Witten

- Witten has not been a Sean Lee type of mentor in the past.
- Witten played near 100% of the snaps in 2017.
- He looked sluggish in 2017.
- Playing less snaps is beneficial to almost all older players.
- Witten is likely still good on 3rd and 5 type plays; however,

- His lack of range limited the overall offense in 2017.​

- Jarwin is not Witten but is a better option on some plays.

- Sometimes they need a TE to stretch the field.​

- Witten really struggled with certain blocking assignments in 2017.

- Plays where the TE pulls across the backfield to block backside DE.

- Witten was too slow on those in 2017.​

I agree with your post, X.

He expressed a genuine interest in coaching.
He's coming back for a swan song and one last shot at a ring.
The team benefits from his experience and he has an
opportunity to stay close to the game beyond this year.

I love Witten as a player. I expect him to have a respectable season.
I also hope to see him show Jarwin and Schultz some nuances of the
position to better their careers. After all, he might be coaching them in 2020.

I have no clue why the other poster felt it was an attack on Witten.
Some people just instantly go negative. Not my problem... lol.

I appreciate the depth of information in your posts.

 

[xwalker]

I agree with your post, X.

He expressed a genuine interest in coaching.
He's coming back for a swan song and one last shot at a ring.
The team benefits from his experience and he has an
opportunity to stay close to the game beyond this year.

I love Witten as a player. I expect him to have a respectable season.
I also hope to see him show Jarwin and Schultz some nuances of the
position to better their careers. After all, he might be coaching them in 2020.

I have no clue why the other poster felt it was an attack on Witten.
Some people just instantly go negative. Not my problem... lol.

I appreciate the depth of information in your posts.

It's always interesting to review the post history of CZ members. It's easy to recognize intentions from the post history.
https://cowboyszone.com/search/18070985/

Did Witten say he wanted to go into coaching? I saw articles speculating on it but I don't remember if Witten said it himself.

It will be interesting to see what Witten has remaining in the tank.

Most players that have been away for a year and return have said it's much more difficult than they anticipated.

 

[RoboQB]

It's always interesting to review the post history of CZ members. It's easy to recognize intentions from the post history.
https://cowboyszone.com/search/18070985/

Did Witten say he wanted to go into coaching? I saw articles speculating on it but I don't remember if Witten said it himself.

It will be interesting to see what Witten has remaining in the tank.

Most players that have been away for a year and return have said it's much more difficult than they anticipated.

The link won't open for me.
I'm confused. Am I being accused of something?
I could've sworn that I read where he wanted to try coaching after this
swan song. I thought it was common knowledge. Perhaps I've been duped.

 

[Number1]

TE- IMO, Jason Witten’s return at age 37 is not necessarily an upgrade at the position. Love Witten but I have a hard time believing he will be the “HOF version” of #82. Blake Jarwin had started to emerge late last season and Dalton Schultz has some upside too. Pretty safe to say the “legend” of Rico Gathers has faded. But Garrett likes to keep 4 TEs. This will be an interesting watch.

IMO, you're under estimating Witten. He ain't back to sell merchandise. All pro, nope. But he don't have to be to help this O.

 

[xwalker]

The link won't open for me.
I'm confused. Am I being accused of something?
I could've sworn that I read where he wanted to try coaching after this
swan song. I thought it was common knowledge. Perhaps I've been duped.

No, just a question on Witten.

The link is the post history I thought might interest you.