CFZ Position groups: Strengths and weaknesses

[Bobhaze]

Come on Bob. You’ve not said it’s hopeless with the Jones in control? I strongly believe you have.

You can disagree with my opinions all day. Just make sure they’re my opinions and not yours..

Of course it’s clear I think Jerry is the biggest problem this team has. I have also made it clear there are also some good things with this team too. Multiple things can be true. I believe we have a terrible GM. I also believe we also have some good players. And some holes too.

Again, multiple things can be true.

 

[Rockport]

You can disagree with my opinions all day. Just make sure they’re my opinions and not yours..

Of course it’s clear I think Jerry is the biggest problem this team has. I have also made it clear there are also some good things with this team too. Multiple things can be true. I believe we have a terrible GM. I also believe we also have some good players. And some holes too.

Again, multiple things can be true.

Yes, multiple things can be true but my point was that you said as long as Jerry’s in control there’s not much hope. You know it. But I’ll leave it.

 

[Buzzbait]

I think our OL is strong and deep. Course some of that strength is young, but it's coming.
My next favorite is LBs. I believe our new LBs will show some great improvement over past performance, especially with a little experience. Another thing that would REALLY help our LBs is if Mazi shows improvement at keeping blockers off our LBs.
Cmon Zim, get that DL up to speed!
Super Bowl? Not a chance in hades.

 

[JoeKing]

Having such a weak RB room means the O-line has to be special this year.

 

[rambo2]

After just a couple of weeks into camp, here are what IMO are the strongest and weakest position groups on the 2024 Cowboys. Obviously before the final 53 man roster is settled, Tgere will be cuts and additions. I will list the strongest and weakest position groups, not necessarily in a particular order of strength or weakness.

POSITIONS OF STRENGTH

• TE: This is a really strong TE group. I expect Jake Ferguson to take another step upward into being one of the best TEs in the league. If Luke Schoonmaker can stay healthy, he has certainly improved. John Stephens, Jr has a ton of talent and upside, and UFA Princeton Fant has shown lots of potential.
• QB: I know Dak has been a major disappointment in the playoffs, but when the anger and frustration clears, he’s still 73-41 in the regular season and has to be considered a top ten QB. (I’m not here to argue with anyone on this!) Cooper Rush is probably going to remain Dak’s backup and he’s proven to be very trustworthy. Trey Lance? I have very low expectations. We will see.
• Secondary- the corners, Deron Bland and Trevon Diggs are top shelf and I also think we have some decent depth. Our safeties are not great but better than we had 5 years ago.
• OL- Zack Martin in my book is still great. Tyler Smith has emerged as a top guard in this league and he’s 24. The additions of Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe could be great. Looks like Brock Hoffman has shown flashes to be considered the front runner to be the C and Terrance Steele is fully recovered from his knee injury in 2022.
• K/P: Brandon Aubrey was almost perfect last year in an All Pro season. Bryan Anger is a consistently reliable punter which is underrated. Very strong unit.

POSITIONS OF WEAKNESS

• RB: I will get straight to it. This is the worst RB room in the league. And having a running game with absolutely no threat to a defense puts a ton of pressure on the QB and passing game. Not good. We must pick up someone from late cuts or this is going to really hurt our offense.
• DL: With the loss of Sam Williams, the question marks hanging over Mazi Smith, and DeMarcus Lawrence now 32, it’s hard to see this DL being better than last year. Parsons is obviously a great pass rusher but teams could double him if no one else is a threat. Perhaps Marshawn Kneeland can step into this void and be good but that’s a ton to ask a rookie.
• LBs: This could become a position of strength as the season progresses. Last year it was a disaster at times, especially in the running game. The addition of Eric Kendricks could really help cement Mike Zimmer’s scheme but he’s 32. Damone Clark will probably be much better as on outside LB than the middle. Maybe DeMarvion Overshown and rookie Marist Liafu could be wild card upgrades. We will see in time.
• WR: Once Cedee Lamb signs, this will be a position of strength. If this holdout drags into the season, having a Brandin Cooks as your #1 receiver is not great. I like Cooks, but without Lamb as a threat, this WR group is below average.

Obviousy it’s early in preparation for the season. I fully expect to see a RB added and perhaps a DT. We have to hope so because those two positions hurt two areas where we need to get better: Running the ball and being able to stop the run.

What say you? How do you see these position groups?

Linebackers are very good. It looks like Parsons is playing a lot of linebacker and the new guys are very good. Secondary is outstanding. The oline and receivers look like they are improved.

 

[rambo2]

OL has a lot of unproven talent and potential, but the rest of this roster is pretty much the same one we've seen for the last 3 or 4 years. Just a little older and more threadbare.

Did you miss the complete makeover at linebacker?

 

[McMicah]

If I were a betting man, I’d flip OL and LB.

Both groups are speculative, but I have more faith in LB right now, or at least I can blame bad performance on the DL…

 

[Yobwocs]

Cowboys were tied for 2nd in most penalties last year. No one seems to acknowledge that and try to blame a player or 2.

Agreed. But most of the egregious ones (the ones I remember) were committed by Defensive Linemen. See the main 3 games....Packers, Niners, Bills. Sam Williams (not gonna be here this year tho) omg

Someone needs to coach the Front 7 better because the Bills game was a flag fest. As was the Seahawks game, but we won that so no one remembers it.

 

[Rockport]

Agreed. But most of the egregious ones (the ones I remember) were committed by Defensive Linemen. See the main 3 games....Packers, Niners, Bills. Sam Williams (not gonna be here this year tho) omg

Someone needs to coach the Front 7 better because the Bills game was a flag fest. As was the Seahawks game, but we won that so no one remembers it.

Many of those penalties were drive killers.

 

[DogFace]

I feel better about our linebackers than I have in a while. If Overshown is healthy he's a clear upgrade from last year. Just about everyone is better than what we had last year which was a real weakness.

 

[SoCalBoy]

To be honest if lamb decides to come back from vacation the only potential weaknesses that I see on this team are running back and defensive line rotation I actually like our defensive line starters with a question mark around Mozzy.

 

[noshame]

I'll revisit this after pre season.
Then again after week 3
For now, DB, ST, and TE , are top notch.
Everyone else is a question at this point.

QB? Cooper is the best back up in the league, Trey is a question until the bad guys are real.
Dak, has been the beneficiary of great surrounding casts and creative coordinating and most of all horrible competition. So QB is a question at best.

Coaching?????

 

[noshame]

Cowboys were tied for 2nd in most penalties last year. No one seems to acknowledge that and try to blame a player or 2.

Penalties have been a problem since McCarthy arrived Penalties aren't a player problem, they are a coaching problem.

 

[Coogiguy03]

You can disagree with my opinions all day. Just make sure they’re my opinions and not yours..

Of course it’s clear I think Jerry is the biggest problem this team has. I have also made it clear there are also some good things with this team too. Multiple things can be true. I believe we have a terrible GM. I also believe we also have some good players. And some holes too.

Again, multiple things can be true.

Totally agree their are some good things about this team, they're just being overshadowed by a miserable off season

 

[Whyjerry]

After just a couple of weeks into camp, here are what IMO are the strongest and weakest position groups on the 2024 Cowboys. Obviously before the final 53 man roster is settled, Tgere will be cuts and additions. I will list the strongest and weakest position groups, not necessarily in a particular order of strength or weakness.

POSITIONS OF STRENGTH

• TE: This is a really strong TE group. I expect Jake Ferguson to take another step upward into being one of the best TEs in the league. If Luke Schoonmaker can stay healthy, he has certainly improved. John Stephens, Jr has a ton of talent and upside, and UFA Princeton Fant has shown lots of potential.
• QB: I know Dak has been a major disappointment in the playoffs, but when the anger and frustration clears, he’s still 73-41 in the regular season and has to be considered a top ten QB. (I’m not here to argue with anyone on this!) Cooper Rush is probably going to remain Dak’s backup and he’s proven to be very trustworthy. Trey Lance? I have very low expectations. We will see.
• Secondary- the corners, Deron Bland and Trevon Diggs are top shelf and I also think we have some decent depth. Our safeties are not great but better than we had 5 years ago.
• OL- Zack Martin in my book is still great. Tyler Smith has emerged as a top guard in this league and he’s 24. The additions of Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe could be great. Looks like Brock Hoffman has shown flashes to be considered the front runner to be the C and Terrance Steele is fully recovered from his knee injury in 2022.
• K/P: Brandon Aubrey was almost perfect last year in an All Pro season. Bryan Anger is a consistently reliable punter which is underrated. Very strong unit.

POSITIONS OF WEAKNESS

• RB: I will get straight to it. This is the worst RB room in the league. And having a running game with absolutely no threat to a defense puts a ton of pressure on the QB and passing game. Not good. We must pick up someone from late cuts or this is going to really hurt our offense.
• DL: With the loss of Sam Williams, the question marks hanging over Mazi Smith, and DeMarcus Lawrence now 32, it’s hard to see this DL being better than last year. Parsons is obviously a great pass rusher but teams could double him if no one else is a threat. Perhaps Marshawn Kneeland can step into this void and be good but that’s a ton to ask a rookie.
• LBs: This could become a position of strength as the season progresses. Last year it was a disaster at times, especially in the running game. The addition of Eric Kendricks could really help cement Mike Zimmer’s scheme but he’s 32. Damone Clark will probably be much better as on outside LB than the middle. Maybe DeMarvion Overshown and rookie Marist Liafu could be wild card upgrades. We will see in time.
• WR: Once Cedee Lamb signs, this will be a position of strength. If this holdout drags into the season, having a Brandin Cooks as your #1 receiver is not great. I like Cooks, but without Lamb as a threat, this WR group is below average.

Obviousy it’s early in preparation for the season. I fully expect to see a RB added and perhaps a DT. We have to hope so because those two positions hurt two areas where we need to get better: Running the ball and being able to stop the run.

What say you? How do you see these position groups?

Hard to argue this list but I will move LB to the strength side. It’s a young group but a group that has a lot of upside. I think Zimmer’s scheme will allow the LBs to make more plays. Clark will revert to form and have a good year. Overshown is my pet cat this year. I thought he was going to be a really good rookie then he got hurt. Reports on him have been very good. He is big, rangy, and plays with a mean streak.

The DL is just a disaster. I looked at that first depth chart and couldn’t believe how bad the group was. I hate Parsons at DE. If Mazi isn’t a stud they are going to be as patch work a DL as we have ever seen. It really is a disgrace they didn’t commit to improving here.

WR is paper thin. Lamb CAN NOT be a hold out for the season. That would severely hurt the offense.

Good stuff as always Bob.

 

[shabazz]

POSITIONS OF WEAKNESS

• 
  
• LBs: This could become a position of strength as the season progresses. Last year it was a disaster at times, especially in the running game. The addition of Eric Kendricks could really help cement Mike Zimmer’s scheme but he’s 32. Damone Clark will probably be much better as on outside LB than the middle. Maybe DeMarvion Overshown and rookie Marist Liafu could be wild card upgrades. We will see in time.

Bob, very adult takes on these various positions

Although I agree with your analysis on our linebackers crew, your going to get the most pushback on this . Some of our members think that just because Marquis Bell isn't part of it AND we signed a LB in his 10th year AND we have 2 players that have never played an NFL down in Overshown and Liufau that it's now a position of strength......I disagree, as I don't recall, us bringing in Patrick Queen or drafting a first round Linebacker this year.

Is there potential? Yes, as you've stated, but for those penciling this in as a "strength" may want to see it actually happen first.

 

[thunderpimp91]

My areas of concern are RB, DL, OL.

OL is the one I’ll probably get the most pushback on but ultimately I expect some growing pains from the LT although I think he’s a really good player long term, I don’t think the C position is an auto improvement just because it’s a new name, and while I agree there is reason for optimism about Steele he still remains largely an unknown. Two all pro Gs but they’re sandwiched between 3 unknowns.

DL is going to look completely different. I’m a huge OSA fan but he’s the only reliable interior player on the roster right now. Parsons is likely to play more LB which I think is a good thing, but I am worried about the depth on the edges. Dlaw is still a quality player but really needs limited snaps. Kneeland is likely a run down specialist early on. I do see a better unit fundamentally which should translate into less given up on the ground, but I also see a lot less of an ability to get to the QB without committing additional resources.

 

[zrinkill]

I see the Jerry Jones fan club are now stalking Bob's threads

Maybe. But a good running game must be able to make defensive coordinators sweat dropping their safeties too deep in fear of a gashing running game. I do not honestly believe that our backfield as currently constructed would make any DC sweat.

I agree with this on principle ........ but I would take this years group over last years.

 

[thunderpimp91]

but I would take this years group over last years.

Now that is a phenomenal question. I honestly don’t know if I’d choose the 23 or 24 version of this defense.

If you gave me a healthy diggs, LVE, and overshown I may actually go with last years unit but it’s so close that my mind could be changed.

 

[zrinkill]

Now that is a phenomenal question. I honestly don’t know if I’d choose the 23 or 24 version of this defense.

If you gave me a healthy diggs, LVE, and overshown I may actually go with last years unit but it’s so close that my mind could be changed.

I was specifically talking about the RB group