I’ve been stuck on stupid, when it comes to the running game this offseason. I’ll admit it. At the end of the day, it most likely will be much ado about nothing in hindsight. But, it is all I have really thought about when it comes to our Dallas Cowboys since they opted to not draft a running back. In an attempt to move on from that topic, today I’m going to scatter shoot a bit about positions that have escaped my focused attention up to this point.
While Demarco Murray may have been the highest profile player to leave via Free Agency, he is not the only guy the Cowboys hope a replacement emerges for during preseason.
Dwayne Harris - Kick Returner, Punt Returner, Kick and Punt Coverage, and underrated blocker while in the role of receiver. Harris did it all and the Cowboys will be hard-pressed to find one guy who can do everything Harris did as well as Harris did. The early favorite is clearly Lucky Whitehead, who also happens to be a pet cat of mine due to the similarities in his game to Cole Beasley.
Where most NFL experts look at their diminutive size as a handicap or hurdle for them to overcome, they use that size as an advantage, making them extremely difficult to cover…meaning all they really have to do to be productive in this offense is be sure to consistently catch the football; that and try to stay healthy because the big guys love to put crushing hits on the little guys. The Cowboys will likely feature Whitehead in every Special Team unit, as well as, give him an extended look in the slot throughout the game against San Diego on Thursday.
George Selvie - yet another Free Agent casualty whose name has had little mention over the last few months. His loss was mostly overshadowed by the acquisition of Greg Hardy, but since the Cowboys will be without his services for the first four games of the season, one player who will likely see the field quite a bit in his absence (aside from Mincey, of course) is 2nd round pick Randall Gregory.
With Gregory, expectations should absolutely be tempered for several reasons. Most high profile pass rushers for the DE position have a tendency to disappear in their first year. Reasons for this vary, but in Randall Gregory’s case, he will likely need another offseason to add bulk to his slight frame before he can be considered an every down defensive end and compete with NFL level Tackles against both the run and as a pass rusher, regardless of his supposed “Heavy Hands.”
Furthermore, throughout his college career he was able to excel with his athleticism alone, so he will need time to hone his craft and add technique/pass rush moves to his repertoire before he is able to truly play the chess match that occurs on every play throughout a game between defensive lineman and offensive lineman. For the moment, I expect he will be woefully ill-prepared for the challenge that is in front of him, but I’ll be watching him closely, just the same.
Jermey Parnell - another player who found greener pastures, in the wake of the 2014 storybook season. And he is another player whose loss was mostly overlooked due to the loss of Murray. But make no mistake; his contribution was significant, especially as the swing tackle that played a lot of snaps in Doug Free’s stead. Should the Cowboys be without Free services for any extended period of time in the upcoming season, Parnell’s name will be brought up quite a bit, if Green/Weems/other player presently not being considered as a serious contender, is unable to effectively replace him.
But the guy who is rarely mentioned as a potential swing tackle is the post draft steal La’el Collins. Having played tackle in college, many draft experts still contended his size is more ideal for inside at Guard…and thus far, the Cowboys seem to agree. But if Green/Weems is unable to provide consistent protection for Franchise QB Romo and/or open up holes on the right side for our running game, Collins will likely get his shot.
In fact, his shot may come before it is necessary in the upcoming preseason. Perhaps not right away against San Diego, but if the Cowboys coaches don’t like what they see in the early going with Weems/Green, Collins opportunity to shine at offensive tackle won’t be too far away.
Sterling Moore – his name likely does not engender fond memories from most Cowboys fans, as we have watched the secondary struggle season after season for the last several years since the loss of Darren Woodson. Nevertheless, in 2014, he led all Cowboys cornerbacks in passes defensed with 14 and played in all 16 games. So, unless the likes of Byron Jones/Corey White/Tyler Patmon can prove to be upgrades, his loss will be felt.
Some will say, the upgrade goes without seeing, given Jones draft status, White’s position flex, and Patmon’s reported improvement in training camp. To that I argue until we see it in games that count, Moore still has the edge, in terms, of deserving confidence.
On paper and in theory, you have to love the flexibility of both White and Jones’ ability to be played all over the field, from outside corner, to slot corner, to safety, to dime linebacker. That affords the Cowboys the ability to weather teams who like to run the no-huddle, such as the Eagles and throw different formations at the defense to create mismatches. On the other hand, said players still have to prove that they can roam from position to position against any opposing offense, which means a lot of film study week in and week out. In other words, it is one thing to do it in practice against the same offense every day, and yet another to do it any day any time against any team.
Against San Diego, I suspect all three players will have plenty of opportunities to prove their value in a variety of different capacities throughout the game.
Henry Melton – Count me among those who doesn’t honestly feel like his absence will be felt perhaps like the other Free Agent losses. Nevertheless, this means that it is Tyrone Crawford time to take it to another level as the unchallenged favorite at the 3-tech spot. I do not have too many doubts that Crawford is up to the task, but the favorite to take Crawford spot from a year ago is Jack Crawford, the Londoner, who like Tyrone a year ago, is making the switch from DE to DT. Described as strong and explosive, but unpolished, he very well could see improvement in his production as a result of the switch. Because many of the starters will likely play very little, if at all, I am looking for Jack to get a lot of the work in that role against San Diego Thursday night, as well as, throughout the preseason.
Bruce Carter/Justin Durant – Without the services of Rolando McClain for the first four games and the made-of-glass label, Sean Lee has earned, these two’s absence may be felt this season more than anyone, including Murray. Granted, they were not Pro Bowl caliber players nor were their jersey’s best sellers from a marketing point-of-view, they still provided the Cowboys value in 2014 and were important cogs in what many would describe as an overachieving defense. In their wake, Andrew Gachkar and Keith Rivers were brought in. Almost as an after-thought, linebacker Damien Wilson was drafted in the fourth round, despite being projected as a 6th round or later draft grade.
The Cowboys were likely planning to allow Wilson to grow within the system before Keith Rivers decided to retire. Now, Wilson has the opportunity to play a significant role in the Cowboys’ defense in 2015. If history holds, Sean Lee will not play all 16 games and Rolando McClain will not be conditioned enough to be an every down linebacker, which leaves several potential openings in the center of the Cowboys defense.
To be sure, no one is more aware of this predicament than Marinelli. Therefore, Damien Wilson will get his opportunity at every position likely within the same night against San Diego. Some have made comparison between he and last year’s labeled draft reach Anthony Hitchens, who went on to prove in 2014 that he should have been drafted sooner (hat tip to the Cowboys scouting department and brass). It could be critical to the success of the Cowboys season this year that lightning strike twice in the same place.
I’d be lying, if I said I’ll be watching any of these positions closer than the guy toting the rock and picking up blitzes in the offensive backfield. But that does not mean any of the roles discussed above should take a back seat in terms of importance to the Cowboys 2015 season.
Thoughts?
