Look at our roster without the fan glasses

[aria]

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.

You mean like the one we let walk for Jaylon and zeke?

I keep forgetting why we let Jones go, he didn’t fit the Cowboys mold. He did his job too well and stayed out of the headlines. He had a great attitude and work ethic with no history of substance abuse, domestic violence or general buffoonery. Jerry doesn’t like professional football players on his team, he wants lazy divas that grab the headlines with drama.

 

[CT Dal Fan]

There's only two players on the defense I would keep- Trevon Diggs and a healthy Leighton Vander Esch.

The Cowboys should have at least attempted to gauge the trade value of DeMarcus Lawrence and Jaylon Smith. I would take a 3rd for either at this point.

 

[Bobhaze]

There's only two players on the defense I would keep- Trevon Diggs and a healthy Leighton Vander Esch.

The Cowboys should have at least attempted to gauge the trade value of DeMarcus Lawrence and Jaylon Smith. I would take a 3rd for either at this point.

What this team has lacked for a long time on defense are playmakers. When was the last time we had a defensive player that could force a TO or make a momentum changing play? It’s almost like the FO has no capability of identifying and drafting defensive playmakers.

 

[kskboys]

There's only two players on the defense I would keep- Trevon Diggs and a healthy Leighton Vander Esch.

The Cowboys should have at least attempted to gauge the trade value of DeMarcus Lawrence and Jaylon Smith. I would take a 3rd for either at this point.

Soooooooooooooooooo, one.

 

[kskboys]

What this team has lacked for a long time on defense are playmakers. When was the last time we had a defensive player that could force a TO or make a momentum changing play? It’s almost like the FO has no capability of identifying and drafting defensive playmakers.

And when they get a stud like Ware, they waste his career by not building the D around him.

 

[Bobhaze]

And when they get a stud like Ware, they waste his career by not building the D around him.

I know many fans won’t agree with this, but I think D-Law is still a player we could get something out of in the future. The problem with him is he is being paid like he’s Myles Garrett or Khalil Mack when he’s actually a notch below them in talent but still a very good player on a team full of duds.

In addition, Law is playing with a bad knee this year, which has limited his leverage. He still has the ability to occasionally blow up a play, but other than Aldon Smith, there’s no one else on DL that make OCs even have to plan for.

Yes, DLaw has been a disappointment. But IMO, he’s not nearly as bad as Jaylon as far as poor play. If we could add at least 3 more dynamic players around him, he could still be worth keeping.

 

[kskboys]

I know many fans won’t agree with this, but I think D-Law is still a player we could get something out of in the future. The problem with him is he is being paid like he’s Myles Garrett or Khalil Mack when he’s actually a notch below them in talent but still a very good player on a team full of duds.

In addition, Law is playing with a bad knee this year, which has limited his leverage. He still has the ability to occasionally blow up a play, but other than Aldon Smith, there’s no one else on DL that make OCs even have to plan for.

Yes, DLaw has been a disappointment. But IMO, he’s not nearly as bad as Jaylon as far as poor play. If we could add at least 3 more dynamic players around him, he could still be worth keeping.

That's why I was so POed when we let him abuse us in contract negotiations. No way he was ever worth top dollar, and no way should he have been given a contract before surgery. We should've held fast.

 

[DanA]

Unfortunately, until we eat Zeke and Jaylon's contract we're destined for nowhere. If we sign Dak and beef up the O-line we might be fine offensively but short of maybe 3-4 players, the defense needs a complete rebuild.

 

[Cmac]

Here's the coaching grade...….trash.
Here's the Front office grade.....Fail

 

[csirl]

You mean like the one we let walk for Jaylon and zeke?

I keep forgetting why we let Jones go, he didn’t fit the Cowboys mold. He did his job too well and stayed out of the headlines. He had a great attitude and work ethic with no history of substance abuse, domestic violence or general buffoonery. Jerry doesn’t like professional football players on his team, he wants lazy divas that grab the headlines with drama.

Yes. Jerry is a collector of interesting characters rather than professional athletes.

 

[Pantone282C]

Just today, I tried to look without fan glasses, but felt miserable...

 

[Redsfan_83]

Honesty haven't read through all the posts but to me these are just players...with th right environment and right coaches most of these guys can turn out to be serviceable to all pro. With our current coaches it seems all these guys have bust or end of their careers written all over them. Hope I am wrong, but right now this is the only way to see things

 

[Playmaker3128]

Defensively you keep Lawrence... lve... Diggs and awuzie. Everyone else can go. Build around that core.

 

[TheHerd]

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.

And you haven't even mentioned the fumbles.

 

[aria]

Yes. Jerry is a collector of interesting characters rather than professional athletes.

Lol, a collector of everything overpriced and void of talent. He has 30 years of experience!

 

[rags747]

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.

Can agree with pretty much all of it except Zeke possibly. When is the last time we have seen an absolute huge hole for him to run through? This ol never seems to get any push at all, Zeke is often being obliterated at the line, never gets much of a chance to even challenge the secondary. This ol’s days of being top 5 are long gone.

 

[aria]

And you haven't even mentioned the fumbles.

Or the safety where the grass monster got him or the dropped passes that hit him right in the chest. Now he gets the “Dalton isn’t accurate excuse” but what was the excuse when zeke was hitting him between the numbers on 5 yard screens? There aren’t any.

 

[aria]

Can agree with pretty much all of it except Zeke possibly. When is the last time we have seen an absolute huge hole for him to run through? This ol never seems to get any push at all, Zeke is often being obliterated at the line, never gets much of a chance to even challenge the secondary. This ol’s days of being top 5 are long gone.

So he demanded to be paid as the best RB in the league and sat out with 2 years on his contract until he was paid as such and his fans call him “elite” but it’s all only applicable if he has a top 5-10 O line?

 

[Typhus]

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:

Like much of this fan base you are in denial,, the OP is correct in his assessment.