CFZ Key Post-draft Question: Are we better as a team in 2024 than 2023?

[Aven8]

We still need LB’s and the running backs are awful. We are counting on Cooks to stay healthy as our #2? Where are the sacks coming from outside of Micah?

Lots of questions

 

[blueblood70]

I agree. Tyler wasn’t as dominant as we would hope but he was a asset and that’s gonna be tough to replace.

Get somehow Travis Frederick Tyler hell Connor Williams left here easily transitioned to center this kid's supposed to be pretty damn smart I don't think it's gonna be a problem and I think we're gonna be better in the run game because of it..

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Were you concerned when Tyler B had no problem transitioning there and I believe this guy's gonna be better in the run game I mean when people say this you realize that most people are rookies when they start and the mental aspect is an individual thing everyone's different they say this kids intellect for the game he can play every position along the offensive line and do it well sounds like he won't have much of A transition but Frederick and Tylerb both for rookies at one time one was better than the other but they both got it done

I for sure was concerned about Biadiz and to me he struggled his first two seasons of his career….

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Get somehow Travis Frederick Tyler hell Connor Williams left here easily transitioned to center this kid's supposed to be pretty damn smart I don't think it's gonna be a problem and I think we're gonna be better in the run game because of it..

For me to say that is insulting to Biadaz.

 

[khiladi]

Imagine saying we are 12-5 because of Dak again, when Cooper Rush was 5-1 with the same roster. And of course, the NFC East that the Cowboys have been playing in have completely changed course, meaning they probably won't be as awful as they have been ever since Dak has been QB.

 

[maryquality]

I don't think we're a better team in 2024; however, check back with me in 2025 and 2026.

 

[Creeper]

Unless Beebe and Guyton come out of the gate playing like stars I don't see how the offense is better this year than last.

I don't care how the draft picks play on defense, there is no way the defense is better this year. That defensive line looks like a real liability right now.

The Cowboys are counting on too many young players to make big leaps in performance over last year and I don't see it happening.

The Cowboys are going to struggle in 2024 on offense and defense.

Remember, it only take a few plays to turn a close game into a rout and young players make mistakes.

 

[blueblood70]

I for sure was concerned about Biadiz and to me he struggled his first two seasons of his career….

Yeah but not mentally it was more the fact that he wasn't big enough he gets pushed back and that's why they didn't sign him but as a Sinner snapping the football and doing his duties mentally he was fine his problem was physical not mental that's my point if Connor Williams can go transition to center like it was nothing I'm not worried about this kid who in college all the experts say he's smart and can play all the positions that means mentally he'll be fine he's already better physically but he'll still need to adjust to the NFL game but not mentally... At least not in my opinion I mean I think you're overthinking it we're looking for a guy who's both physical and mental game are closer to Travis Frederick and this is the guy... I mean we're gonna have to see it on the field but that's what a whole lot of people are saying not just a few not Cowboys fans all the experts...

 

[blueblood70]

Unless Beebe and Guyton come out of the gate playing like stars I don't see how the offense is better this year than last.

I don't care how the draft picks play on defense, there is no way the defense is better this year. That defensive line looks like a real liability right now.

The Cowboys are counting on too many young players to make big leaps in performance over last year and I don't see it happening.

The Cowboys are going to struggle in 2024 on offense and defense.

Remember, it only take a few plays to turn a close game into a rout and young players make mistakes.

Dude they don't need to play like stars they need to play solidly, they need to slowly get better as the season goes on and you know what that's every rookie, I don't care if they were first overall picks in the draft or the last guy taken, they all have to learn the game, and the game will get slower each game, but they'll be coached up...

I mean I feel like it's already an improvement at center, I don't care about the growing pains ,this guy's got all the physical tools and all he needs is the reps in preseason and just get himself used to the speed of the game and it will come to him pretty easily.

I don't know about the left tackle I don't know what they're going to do with guyton but you're saying they think they're gonna depend on him if he's struggling they have a doga they also have other guys on this team we don't know how preseason is going to shake out hell Richards can end up being better.. With Tyron off this team it leaves an opportunity some wide open competition between guys like Richards and guyton they're not going to hand the reins to him if he's getting blown out in preseason.

By the way everybody said the same thing about Tyler Smith he was a reach he was a project he was gonna take time literally played left tackle which is not really why he was drafted and yes he had some ups and downs but he had a solid season as a left tackle then had an all pro season as a left guard so if you're saying that they should be discounted because they're rookies that's also a problem I realize there could be a transition but how big we don't know....​

 

[gimmesix]

Most post-draft analyses being offered by the football “experts“ tend to focus on each individual draft pick - their specific individual skills, their “value” in terms of when they were drafted, etc. What they rarely mention is what does this draft do collectively to make us a better football team? On top of that, you can never judge a draft before the new players have even played a meaningful down of football.

Overall I thought this year’s draft was generally good. We addressed two of the weakest areas this team had last year: The ability to run the ball and the ability to stop the run.

The acquisition of Tyler Guyton and Cooper Bebee should bring a long term improvement on the O- line.The acquisition of Marshawn Kneeland should have an impact on improving stopping the run, assuming he develops quickly. Not drafting a RB is the dangling need still hanging.

So back to question, Are we better in 2024 AS A TEAM after this draft? Here are my answers to that:

• In the short run, meaning the 2024 season, on paper this team does NOT appear to be as good as last year’s team that won the NFC East and earned the #2 seed. They were pitiful in the playoffs last year but had a 12-5 regular season.
• You can’t lose a HOF LT like Tyron Smith (although often injured last few years) and expect a rookie LT to walk in the door and immediately be better.
• We may not immediately see Cooper Bebee be better than Tyler Biadaz was at Center. I certainly think Bebee has more upside than Biadaz so after a year or two Bebee may exceed Biadaz. And Bebee may end up being the long term replacement for Zack Martin.
• In the next couple of seasons, if this year’s draft as well as the 2022 and 2023 classes show improvement, the 2025 team may be better than the 2024 version.

In conclusion, obviously it’s way too early to know how good this year’s draft will be. But it’s not too early to see that at least on paper this team is not clearly better NOW. But for 2025, that maybe different.

Do you think this draft has made the 2024 team better than the 2023 team?

It depends a whole lot on how the early draft picks play.

Obviously, a Hall-of-Famer is hard to replace, but Guyton might be adequate as a rookie and our interior could be better than it was with Tyler having another season under his belt and if Beebe can successfully make the transition to center. There will be growing pains that you don't have with a veteran line, but I could see that interior group being really stout.

If the interior line is stout, that could make the run game more effective despite losing our leading rusher and not replacing him with a young stud. Not saying that Elliott is going to return to his early-career form, but McCarthy clearly wants to run between the tackles in his scheme, so we could have the interior line and the power backs to do that effectively enough.

Losing the Gallup of the past two years is not a big loss. Whether we have someone who can do better as the third receiver is the question, though. I don't think the shoes are big to fill, so we could see improvement at that position.

Also, I believe that a couple of young players -- Schoonmaker and Luepke -- may be more effective weapons than they were as rookies. If that happens, it will help balance the attack.

On defense, we lost two of our end contributors. However, we could see an improvement giving more snaps to Sam Williams and with the rookie Kneeland. Anyone expecting Kneeland to explode as a pass rusher is expecting too much, but he may be a better overall end than those two.

Unless Mazi takes a giant step forward at NT, we should take a step back there. I like that we drafted some depth, but it was late-round depth so we shouldn't expect much.

Getting Kendricks to be the MLB in this defense should help the run defense some. He's a vet who knows what he is doing and how to lead Zimmer's scheme. Of course, he's at the point in this career where he just isn't as fast as he once was. I am interested in seeing if Overshown can pick up where he left off before the knee injury.

Corner could be stronger with Diggs and Bland as the starters, depending on how well Diggs returns from his injury. Safeties should be about the same.

There's a lot that will have to click into place and fall right for the 2024 team to play better than the 2023 team. We can probably expect it to be hit and miss at best. I think this is likely to be a tread water year because we'll be relying on a lot of young players to be next man up. Trouble is that while we are treading water, the NFL stream keeps on moving so we may end up downriver.

 

[Bobhaze]

Tyron, the keyword is "WAS" an All pro when he was healthy, he hasn't been since 2016. It was time to move on from Tyron, missed far too many games over the years and you can't depend on him to stay healthy anymore...

Tyron Smith was a 2nd team ALL pro last year.

 

[gtb1943]

Were you concerned when Tyler B had no problem transitioning there and I believe this guy's gonna be better in the run game I mean when people say this you realize that most people are rookies when they start and the mental aspect is an individual thing everyone's different they say this kids intellect for the game he can play every position along the offensive line and do it well sounds like he won't have much of A transition but Frederick and Tylerb both for rookies at one time one was better than the other but they both got it done

Tyler Biadasz played his whole college career at center
amazing how some people do not get that transistorizing to center is NOT a walk in the park

 

[Gambit]

Martin and Tank are not who they were before. People need to remember that in their assessments.

Martin struggled with lower leg injuries all year, if healthy I fully expect him to return to form. Also, Martin injured is better than most Guards in the league. Tank is still very valuable especially in the run game but also in leadership in this locker room. He should be a great mentor for Kneeland.

The Kneeland pic solidifies for me that Robinson not Guyton was the pick at 29 if he was there.

 

[gtb1943]

Tyron Smith was a 2nd team ALL pro last year.

they refuse to admit it since their agenda gets trash canned if they do

 

[Sheepherder]

No. Offensive tackles are a mess. We got better at center. Run defense still in shambles. No talent at rb. Zero speed on offense. If we win 12 games again it will be because of dak. Again

I'm not sure what you mean by that. Offensive tackles are a mess? Come on. I believe we can give Guyton a chance. Steele should be considerably better this year coming off the knee injury. And then they got a dog in the 3rd round with that guard. I'm looking forward to seeing some improvement. They are not done. There will be some runningbacks available too. At least that's what people are saying.

 

[CyberB0b]

No. Offensive tackles are a mess. We got better at center. Run defense still in shambles. No talent at rb. Zero speed on offense. If we win 12 games again it will be because of dak. Again

The guy you’re penciling in at center has never played a snap at that position in his life.

 

[Chasing6]

Most post-draft analyses being offered by the football “experts“ tend to focus on each individual draft pick - their specific individual skills, their “value” in terms of when they were drafted, etc. What they rarely mention is what does this draft do collectively to make us a better football team? On top of that, you can never judge a draft before the new players have even played a meaningful down of football.

Overall I thought this year’s draft was generally good. We addressed two of the weakest areas this team had last year: The ability to run the ball and the ability to stop the run.

The acquisition of Tyler Guyton and Cooper Bebee should bring a long term improvement on the O- line.The acquisition of Marshawn Kneeland should have an impact on improving stopping the run, assuming he develops quickly. Not drafting a RB is the dangling need still hanging.

So back to question, Are we better in 2024 AS A TEAM after this draft? Here are my answers to that:

• In the short run, meaning the 2024 season, on paper this team does NOT appear to be as good as last year’s team that won the NFC East and earned the #2 seed. They were pitiful in the playoffs last year but had a 12-5 regular season.
• You can’t lose a HOF LT like Tyron Smith (although often injured last few years) and expect a rookie LT to walk in the door and immediately be better.
• We may not immediately see Cooper Bebee be better than Tyler Biadaz was at Center. I certainly think Bebee has more upside than Biadaz so after a year or two Bebee may exceed Biadaz. And Bebee may end up being the long term replacement for Zack Martin.
• In the next couple of seasons, if this year’s draft as well as the 2022 and 2023 classes show improvement, the 2025 team may be better than the 2024 version.

In conclusion, obviously it’s way too early to know how good this year’s draft will be. But it’s not too early to see that at least on paper this team is not clearly better NOW. But for 2025, that maybe different.

Do you think this draft has made the 2024 team better than the 2023 team?

How will you know? Are we playing the same teams we did last year? Did those teams not try to improve their rosters?

Can you have a better record without improving your team? Does having a less wins automatically mean your team did not improve?

If we go 10-7 with more quality wins, does that mean we went backwards?

How about if we go 10-7 and win a playoff game on the road? That is an improvement correct?

Then get blown out in round 2. So what will that mean exactly?

It is all subjective and opinionated.

 

[Bobhaze]

How will you know? Are we playing the same teams we did last year? Did those teams not try to improve their rosters?

Can you have a better record without improving your team? Does having a less wins automatically mean your team did not improve?

If we go 10-7 with more quality wins, does that mean we went backwards?

How about if we go 10-7 and win a playoff game on the road? That is an improvement correct?

Then get blown out in round 2. So what will that mean exactly?

It is all subjective and opinionated.

Draft assessments are all subjective. But what we lost in departed talent is fairly objective.

Losing Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard, Tyler Biadaz, Dorance Armstrong, Jonathan Hankins and Michael Gallup are 6 starters that have been replaced in theory but remains to be seen if that makes us better.

The young talent looks good and full of high ceiling potential. But as the great Darrell Royal once said, “Potential just means you ain’t done it yet.”

 

[Hennessy_King]

The guy you’re penciling in at center has never played a snap at that position in his life.

He's practiced every day in college just never had to do it in a game. Shouldn't be that big of a deal

 

[FoxF]

Our window has closed, lame duck year and rebuild.