Look at our roster without the fan glasses

[Bobhaze]

If anyone thinks this is a talented enough roster to be better than 2-5, let us take the fan glasses off and take a hard look at each position on both offense and defense.

For the purposes of this evaluation let’s look at each position on the filed and use this terminology to evaluate it: Position of Strength (S), or Position of Weakness (W). I’ve always believed whatever player is not a strength is automatically a weakness. You are either Strong or Weak, no in-between.

OFFENSE
LT- Tyron Smith- (W) What was once a top 3 LT in the league is probably headed for retirement.
LG- Connor Williams (W) In his third season, haven’t seen enough to say it’s a strength
C- Tyler Biadaz (W) I would actually label TB as an unknown. He may develop, but he’s no T-Fred.
RG- Zack Martin (S) Still an All Pro
RT- La’el Collins (S) Injured now but if he’s back in form next year, he’s legit.
TE- Blake Jarwin/Dalton Schultz- (S) This may be generous but Dalton’s development and the return of Jarwin may make this a strength.
WR- Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Cedee Lamb- (S) Frankly, wasted riches
RB- Zeke Elliott- (W) Can’t believe I just typed W but Zeke’s bad contract coupled with his lost burst makes him above average but based on his cap space, he’s a weakness.
QB- Dak Prescott (S)- I know there are fans here who don’t like Dak, but assuming his leg is good next year, he’s proven to be a top 5-8 QB.
Offense Total- 5 positions of strength, 6 positions of weakness. The LT position is one of the hardest to find quality, so that may become a draft priority.

DEFENSE
LDE- DeMarcus Lawrence (W) He’s playing hurt and not playing up to his contract, but unlike Jaylon, he still plays hard.
DT- Neville Gallimore- (W) too early to tell if he’s got anything but we’re still thin here
DT- Antuan Woods- (W) perhaps a decent backup, but not starter quality
RDE- Ty Crawford, Aldon Smith, Randy Gregory (W) Smith has shown flashes but he’s too old, RG is completely unreliable and Crawford should have been cut already.
MLB- LVE (W) Talented but a China doll. The clock is ticking for his retirement announcement.
WLB- Jaylon Smith (W)- Out position a lot and can’t cover anyone. Bad contract now,
S- X. Woods, D. Thompson, etc. (W) Pathetic frankly.
CBs- C. Awuzie, A. Brown, J Lewis, T. Diggs- (W) Diggs is probably decent, Brown has been a disappointment, Awuzie has been injured and inconsistent as is Lewis. Depleted.
Defense Total- All 11 positions are Weak. Obviously lots of draft capital will be needed. 2021 would be a great year to stockpile extra picks.

Obviously, this is subjective on my part, and I realize some young guys like Biadaz, Diggs and Gallimore may develop into decent starters, But right now, we don’t know that.

Seems pretty obvious that even at full strength- with no injuries- this team’s weaknesses are glaring. This won’t be fixed easily, and probably not immediately. This is not a very talented team overall.

One other concern- I’m certain Mike McCarthy wasn’t hired for a rebuild. Has Jerry accepted the truth of how big the holes are on this roster? If so, he may need to find a guy who can build from scratch.

 

[Diehardblues]

We just need to revamp the defense and bring in a new DC.

Assuming the core of our OL and Dak returns healthy we have a top 5 offense. If they can stop turning the ball over. Which they hadn’t done in recent history.

Focus the draft and FA on defense , primarily DT , LB and S, and perhaps a LT.

An average to slightly below average defense with our healthy offense could win back the division. That’s not a total rebuild.

 

[Stash]

If anyone thinks this is a talented enough roster to be better than 2-5, let us take the fan glasses off and take a hard look at each position on both offense and defense.

For the purposes of this evaluation let’s look at each position on the filed and use this terminology to evaluate it: Position of Strength (S), or Position of Weakness (W). I’ve always believed whatever player is not a strength is automatically a weakness. You are either Strong or Weak, no in-between.

OFFENSE
LT- Tyron Smith- (W) What was once a top 3 LT in the league is probably headed for retirement.
LG- Connor Williams (W) In his third season, haven’t seen enough to say it’s a strength
C- Tyler Biadaz (W) I would actually label TB as an unknown. He may develop, but he’s no T-Fred.
RG- Zack Martin (S) Still an All Pro
RT- La’el Collins (S) Injured now but if he’s back in form next year, he’s legit.
TE- Blake Jarwin/Dalton Schultz- (S) This may be generous but Dalton’s development and the return of Jarwin may make this a strength.
WR- Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Cedee Lamb- (S) Frankly, wasted riches
RB- Zeke Elliott- (W) Can’t believe I just typed W but Zeke’s bad contract coupled with his lost burst makes him above average but based on his cap space, he’s a weakness.
QB- Dak Prescott (S)- I know there are fans here who don’t like Dak, but assuming his leg is good next year, he’s proven to be a top 5-8 QB.
Offense Total- 5 positions of strength, 6 positions of weakness. The LT position is one of the hardest to find quality, so that may become a draft priority.

DEFENSE
LDE- DeMarcus Lawrence (W) He’s playing hurt and not playing up to his contract, but unlike Jaylon, he still plays hard.
DT- Neville Gallimore- (W) too early to tell if he’s got anything but we’re still thin here
DT- Antuan Woods- (W) perhaps a decent backup, but not starter quality
RDE- Ty Crawford, Aldon Smith, Randy Gregory (W) Smith has shown flashes but he’s too old, RG is completely unreliable and Crawford should have been cut already.
MLB- LVE (W) Talented but a China doll. The clock is ticking for his retirement announcement.
WLB- Jaylon Smith (W)- Out position a lot and can’t cover anyone. Bad contract now,
S- X. Woods, D. Thompson, etc. (W) Pathetic frankly.
CBs- C. Awuzie, A. Brown, J Lewis, T. Diggs- (W) Diggs is probably decent, Brown has been a disappointment, Awuzie has been injured and inconsistent as is Lewis. Depleted.
Defense Total- All 11 positions are Weak. Obviously lots of draft capital will be needed. 2021 would be a great year to stockpile extra picks.

Obviously, this is subjective on my part, and I realize some young guys like Biadaz, Diggs and Gallimore may develop into decent starters, But right now, we don’t know that.

Seems pretty obvious that even at full strength- with no injuries- this team’s weaknesses are glaring. This won’t be fixed easily, and probably not immediately. This is not a very talented team overall.

One other concern- I’m certain Mike McCarthy wasn’t hired for a rebuild. Has Jerry accepted the truth of how big the holes are on this roster? If so, he may need to find a guy who can build from scratch.

First, I disagree with the absolutes of strengths or weakness being used. Nothing is so extreme as to be apply to use that broad brush.

Secondly, the entire things is painted in negatives, where everything is a worst case scenario. And like Captain Kirk:

 

[tunahelper]

If anyone thinks this is a talented enough roster to be better than 2-5, let us take the fan glasses off and take a hard look at each position on both offense and defense.

For the purposes of this evaluation let’s look at each position on the filed and use this terminology to evaluate it: Position of Strength (S), or Position of Weakness (W). I’ve always believed whatever player is not a strength is automatically a weakness. You are either Strong or Weak, no in-between.

OFFENSE
LT- Tyron Smith- (W) What was once a top 3 LT in the league is probably headed for retirement.
LG- Connor Williams (W) In his third season, haven’t seen enough to say it’s a strength
C- Tyler Biadaz (W) I would actually label TB as an unknown. He may develop, but he’s no T-Fred.
RG- Zack Martin (S) Still an All Pro
RT- La’el Collins (S) Injured now but if he’s back in form next year, he’s legit.
TE- Blake Jarwin/Dalton Schultz- (S) This may be generous but Dalton’s development and the return of Jarwin may make this a strength.
WR- Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Cedee Lamb- (S) Frankly, wasted riches
RB- Zeke Elliott- (W) Can’t believe I just typed W but Zeke’s bad contract coupled with his lost burst makes him above average but based on his cap space, he’s a weakness.
QB- Dak Prescott (S)- I know there are fans here who don’t like Dak, but assuming his leg is good next year, he’s proven to be a top 5-8 QB.
Offense Total- 5 positions of strength, 6 positions of weakness. The LT position is one of the hardest to find quality, so that may become a draft priority.

DEFENSE
LDE- DeMarcus Lawrence (W) He’s playing hurt and not playing up to his contract, but unlike Jaylon, he still plays hard.
DT- Neville Gallimore- (W) too early to tell if he’s got anything but we’re still thin here
DT- Antuan Woods- (W) perhaps a decent backup, but not starter quality
RDE- Ty Crawford, Aldon Smith, Randy Gregory (W) Smith has shown flashes but he’s too old, RG is completely unreliable and Crawford should have been cut already.
MLB- LVE (W) Talented but a China doll. The clock is ticking for his retirement announcement.
WLB- Jaylon Smith (W)- Out position a lot and can’t cover anyone. Bad contract now,
S- X. Woods, D. Thompson, etc. (W) Pathetic frankly.
CBs- C. Awuzie, A. Brown, J Lewis, T. Diggs- (W) Diggs is probably decent, Brown has been a disappointment, Awuzie has been injured and inconsistent as is Lewis. Depleted.
Defense Total- All 11 positions are Weak. Obviously lots of draft capital will be needed. 2021 would be a great year to stockpile extra picks.

Obviously, this is subjective on my part, and I realize some young guys like Biadaz, Diggs and Gallimore may develop into decent starters, But right now, we don’t know that.

Seems pretty obvious that even at full strength- with no injuries- this team’s weaknesses are glaring. This won’t be fixed easily, and probably not immediately. This is not a very talented team overall.

One other concern- I’m certain Mike McCarthy wasn’t hired for a rebuild. Has Jerry accepted the truth of how big the holes are on this roster? If so, he may need to find a guy who can build from scratch.

No injuries to any players this squad would be 8-8 or 9-7.
Offense- Has enough pieces to put points up. They need to protect the ball! Fundamentals....
Defense- DL, LB, CB, S. are all complete weakness. There are a few glimpses of hope within the ranks, but mostly mediocre or worse players.
Draft and FA must be about DL and secondary. We will need to put less emphasis on LBers, due to desperate needs elsewhere.

 

[RS12]

Good job Bob. IMO you were objective. You could have been easily more harsh.

 

[rnr_honeybadger]

This is an average team when there are no injuries and a bottom of the barrel team when there are injuries. 8-8 team with bloated contracts and about to get worse as they pay an average QB like an elite QB. Then again, it should be pointed out that the Cowboys had no problem paying an average DE like a superstar so carry on.

 

[Bobhaze]

First, I disagree with the absolutes of strengths or weakness being used. Nothing is so extreme as to be apply to use that broad brush.

Secondly, the entire things is painted in negatives, where everything is a worst case scenario. And like Captain Kirk:

Fair point Stas. How would you do it differently?

 

[Chuck 54]

We just need to revamp the defense and bring in a new DC.

Assuming the core of our OL and Dak returns healthy we have a top 5 offense. If they can stop turning the ball over. Which they hadn’t done in recent history.

Focus the draft and FA on defense , primarily DT , LB and S, and perhaps a LT.

An average to slightly below average defense with our healthy offense could win back the division. That’s not a total rebuild.

Sadly, we are also desperate for a quality CB. Diggs is okay with a lack of speed. Brown should be a slot CB. Lewis is garbage. Awuzie is probably gone. No depth. We don’t need a shut down CB, but a really good one who doesn’t require safety help behind him would be nice.

 

[Einstein]

Please do a comparison of another team or two... say do the 'skins or Egals and maybe the Pats from last year just for fun.

I don't know that I agree with all of this, but definitely an interesting thought provoking post.

 

[jwooten15]

We just need the right combination of players/coaches and to have some cohesion and commitment.

Sometimes less talented teams win Super Bowls because they play for each other and they have strong coaching to lead them.

I'm not super optimistic about it quickly turning things around, but let's start with firing Nolan and bringing in new blood (that's not an NFL buddy with McCarthy), have a defense-heavy draft, and see what can happen.

This offense, even without Tyron, can be lethal if Dak comes back at full strength. That could cover up a lot of defensive weakness.

Does all of this mean I think we're going to be a great team in the next year or two? No. But that's the beauty of football -- you just never do know.

 

[Bobhaze]

Please do a comparison of another team or two... say do the 'skins or Egals and maybe the Pats from last year just for fun.

I don't know that I agree with all of this, but definitely an interesting thought provoking post.

I’ll let you do that work of comparing those other teams. I’m too tired right now, lol.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

If anyone thinks this is a talented enough roster to be better than 2-5, let us take the fan glasses off and take a hard look at each position on both offense and defense.

For the purposes of this evaluation let’s look at each position on the filed and use this terminology to evaluate it: Position of Strength (S), or Position of Weakness (W). I’ve always believed whatever player is not a strength is automatically a weakness. You are either Strong or Weak, no in-between.

OFFENSE
LT- Tyron Smith- (W) What was once a top 3 LT in the league is probably headed for retirement.
LG- Connor Williams (W) In his third season, haven’t seen enough to say it’s a strength
C- Tyler Biadaz (W) I would actually label TB as an unknown. He may develop, but he’s no T-Fred.
RG- Zack Martin (S) Still an All Pro
RT- La’el Collins (S) Injured now but if he’s back in form next year, he’s legit.
TE- Blake Jarwin/Dalton Schultz- (S) This may be generous but Dalton’s development and the return of Jarwin may make this a strength.
WR- Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Cedee Lamb- (S) Frankly, wasted riches
RB- Zeke Elliott- (W) Can’t believe I just typed W but Zeke’s bad contract coupled with his lost burst makes him above average but based on his cap space, he’s a weakness.
QB- Dak Prescott (S)- I know there are fans here who don’t like Dak, but assuming his leg is good next year, he’s proven to be a top 5-8 QB.
Offense Total- 5 positions of strength, 6 positions of weakness. The LT position is one of the hardest to find quality, so that may become a draft priority.

DEFENSE
LDE- DeMarcus Lawrence (W) He’s playing hurt and not playing up to his contract, but unlike Jaylon, he still plays hard.
DT- Neville Gallimore- (W) too early to tell if he’s got anything but we’re still thin here
DT- Antuan Woods- (W) perhaps a decent backup, but not starter quality
RDE- Ty Crawford, Aldon Smith, Randy Gregory (W) Smith has shown flashes but he’s too old, RG is completely unreliable and Crawford should have been cut already.
MLB- LVE (W) Talented but a China doll. The clock is ticking for his retirement announcement.
WLB- Jaylon Smith (W)- Out position a lot and can’t cover anyone. Bad contract now,
S- X. Woods, D. Thompson, etc. (W) Pathetic frankly.
CBs- C. Awuzie, A. Brown, J Lewis, T. Diggs- (W) Diggs is probably decent, Brown has been a disappointment, Awuzie has been injured and inconsistent as is Lewis. Depleted.
Defense Total- All 11 positions are Weak. Obviously lots of draft capital will be needed. 2021 would be a great year to stockpile extra picks.

Obviously, this is subjective on my part, and I realize some young guys like Biadaz, Diggs and Gallimore may develop into decent starters, But right now, we don’t know that.

Seems pretty obvious that even at full strength- with no injuries- this team’s weaknesses are glaring. This won’t be fixed easily, and probably not immediately. This is not a very talented team overall.

One other concern- I’m certain Mike McCarthy wasn’t hired for a rebuild. Has Jerry accepted the truth of how big the holes are on this roster? If so, he may need to find a guy who can build from scratch.

I think the most important thing you said is Jerry not really knowing the "big holes on the team"

But this is the same guy who said Tony Romo had 5 more years....then Romo gets a knee in the back in pre-season and had to retire.

I know I sound like a broken record...but the biggest hole and/or weakness in the organization is Jerry. That does not mean the exercise of us going through the roster and stating our opinions on a position by position basis is fruitless.....but the chief architect of this franchise is still Jerry...so as long as that is the case..."rebuilding" this roster is being spearheaded by the blind

 

[John813]

It's not a good bunch on defense that's for sure.

We have guys not living up to their deals, guys who have injury issues and JAGs.

Offensively, I think we are still in excellent shape for 2021.
QB we are good at.
RB...eh but good enough
WR loaded
TE Seem to have solid guys in Schultz and Jarwin
OL: Even if Tyron calls it, we still have Collins and Martin. Biadasz tbd like you said but I haven't noticed too many gaffes. Especially for a guy who needed more strength conditioning this year which he never got due to the virus. Williams is a JAG. Obviously LT is a big need if Smith retires but I don't think he will this upcoming year. But we'll need to plan for his eventual departure.

 

[Brax]

If anyone thinks this is a talented enough roster to be better than 2-5, let us take the fan glasses off and take a hard look at each position on both offense and defense.

For the purposes of this evaluation let’s look at each position on the filed and use this terminology to evaluate it: Position of Strength (S), or Position of Weakness (W). I’ve always believed whatever player is not a strength is automatically a weakness. You are either Strong or Weak, no in-between.

OFFENSE
LT- Tyron Smith- (W) What was once a top 3 LT in the league is probably headed for retirement.
LG- Connor Williams (W) In his third season, haven’t seen enough to say it’s a strength
C- Tyler Biadaz (W) I would actually label TB as an unknown. He may develop, but he’s no T-Fred.
RG- Zack Martin (S) Still an All Pro
RT- La’el Collins (S) Injured now but if he’s back in form next year, he’s legit.
TE- Blake Jarwin/Dalton Schultz- (S) This may be generous but Dalton’s development and the return of Jarwin may make this a strength.
WR- Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Cedee Lamb- (S) Frankly, wasted riches
RB- Zeke Elliott- (W) Can’t believe I just typed W but Zeke’s bad contract coupled with his lost burst makes him above average but based on his cap space, he’s a weakness.
QB- Dak Prescott (S)- I know there are fans here who don’t like Dak, but assuming his leg is good next year, he’s proven to be a top 5-8 QB.
Offense Total- 5 positions of strength, 6 positions of weakness. The LT position is one of the hardest to find quality, so that may become a draft priority.

DEFENSE
LDE- DeMarcus Lawrence (W) He’s playing hurt and not playing up to his contract, but unlike Jaylon, he still plays hard.
DT- Neville Gallimore- (W) too early to tell if he’s got anything but we’re still thin here
DT- Antuan Woods- (W) perhaps a decent backup, but not starter quality
RDE- Ty Crawford, Aldon Smith, Randy Gregory (W) Smith has shown flashes but he’s too old, RG is completely unreliable and Crawford should have been cut already.
MLB- LVE (W) Talented but a China doll. The clock is ticking for his retirement announcement.
WLB- Jaylon Smith (W)- Out position a lot and can’t cover anyone. Bad contract now,
S- X. Woods, D. Thompson, etc. (W) Pathetic frankly.
CBs- C. Awuzie, A. Brown, J Lewis, T. Diggs- (W) Diggs is probably decent, Brown has been a disappointment, Awuzie has been injured and inconsistent as is Lewis. Depleted.
Defense Total- All 11 positions are Weak. Obviously lots of draft capital will be needed. 2021 would be a great year to stockpile extra picks.

Obviously, this is subjective on my part, and I realize some young guys like Biadaz, Diggs and Gallimore may develop into decent starters, But right now, we don’t know that.

Seems pretty obvious that even at full strength- with no injuries- this team’s weaknesses are glaring. This won’t be fixed easily, and probably not immediately. This is not a very talented team overall.

One other concern- I’m certain Mike McCarthy wasn’t hired for a rebuild. Has Jerry accepted the truth of how big the holes are on this roster? If so, he may need to find a guy who can build from scratch.

15 out of 22 groups suck, thanks for the brightness and enjoy Sunday night.

 

[superonyx]

Fair point Stas. How would you do it differently?

When you are calling Tyron Smith and Zeke Elliott weakness the rest lose credibility.
You may not like the health of 1 or the contract of the other but neither is even close to being a weakness.

How about you do the same exercise with another team in the league and see where you fall.

When your team is currently sucking fans tend to be overly negative.

This goes back to this mentality so many have around here that says you need 22 all pro's to be successful. Check the roster of the winning teams right now. Dig in deep and you will find how many players you could consider a weakness. Especially when you classifying Zeke and T Smith as weaknesses.

 

[cern]

perhaps we're remodeling more than rebuilding.

 

[Stash]

Fair point Stas. How would you do it differently?

I would do it in a manner that allowed for variance, rather than absolutes. Maybe something as simple and relatable as a letter grade? A - F. A for great quality and depth at a position, and F for being in terrible shape there, with grades in between.

 

[Bobhaze]

When you are calling Tyron Smith and Zeke Elliott weakness the rest lose credibility.
You may not like the health of 1 or the contract of the other but neither is even close to being a weakness.

How about you do the same exercise with another team in the league and see where you fall.

When your team is currently sucking fans tend to be overly negative.

This goes back to this mentality so many have around here that says you need 22 all pro's to be successful. Check the roster of the winning teams right now. Dig in deep and you will find how many players you could consider a weakness. Especially when you classifying Zeke and T Smith as weaknesses.

I disagree with you brother. Ty Smith was my favorite Cowboys player for years. He was an absolute beast. But he hasn’t played a full season since 2015. By the end of this season he will have missed 27 games. One of the most underrated abilities with all players is availability, and Smith has lost that lately. I’m sad to say, he has become a weakness.

Regarding Zeke. He’s no longer an explosive player. I realize he doesn’t have the line he once had, but since his rookie year, he has had one run over 40 yards. He’s still a good rb but he’s not what this team is paying him to be- elite. That in my book makes him a weakness for this team.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Just me, but it's next to impossible for any team to have and maintain at least one All Pro player at every position. But if you look at the top teams what you do see is 2 maybe 3 high-level players on BOTH sides of the ball AND top-notch coaching. More times than not they're either carrying the average players or hiding their weaknesses. It's why I've said our offense is fine but we have to find ( draft or free agency) at least 2 top-level playmakers for the D. Guys who not only consistently play at a high level but make others around them better. I still say blow up the entire D during the offseason with the exception of Diggs, Hill, DLaw, and LVE.

 

[Stash]

We just need the right combination of players/coaches and to have some cohesion and commitment.

Sometimes less talented teams win Super Bowls because they play for each other and they have strong coaching to lead them.

I'm not super optimistic about it quickly turning things around, but let's start with firing Nolan and bringing in new blood (that's not an NFL buddy with McCarthy), have a defense-heavy draft, and see what can happen.

This offense, even without Tyron, can be lethal if Dak comes back at full strength. That could cover up a lot of defensive weakness.

Does all of this mean I think we're going to be a great team in the next year or two? No. But that's the beauty of football -- you just never do know.

I think that you well illustrate the point that this team - even as currently built - can turn things around in a hurry. If the injured offensive players come back and play to their past standards, this offense can quickly and easily get back to scoring 35 points a game - which they were with Dak. When you have that, all you need is competent defense to win games. I don't feel it requires reinventing the wheel, or totally rebuilding the defense, in order to accomplish that.