There’s a Football 101 philosophy that apparently is forgotten too often in Big D- get the ball in the hands of your best playmakers as often as possible and in positions where they can succeed.
The best offensive minds in this game make that a guiding principle.
So with that in mind, how would you rank the Cowboys offensive weapons based on their ability to make big plays? Here’s my list based on recent performance and some potential growth and upside for some players.
- Cedee Lamb- has consistently had the best yards after catch (YAC) on the team and even though he doesn’t have blazing speed, he can make defenders miss. He can take a short route and turn it into a TD at any moment. Just turned 23 so there’s lots of upside. Needs to improve drops but should be getting a minimum of 10 targets a game and perhaps mix in more gadget runs.
- Tony Pollard- is clearly the best big play RB we have. He had 130 carries last year and averaged 5.5 yds per carry. He also had 39 receptions, creating 169 touches last year. In each of his 3 seasons, he has multiple TDs of 40+ yds- something Zeke hasn’t done since 2018. He is also a decent receiver who can be utilized creatively in the passing game. He should be getting 12-15 touches per game. He just turned 25 and still has some upside.
- Michael Gallup- has most often been the Cowboys deep threat option, averaging 15 yds per reception over his 4 year career. He has had multiple 50 yard + receptions each year he’s played. Injuries have tainted his output lately, but he’s still clearly a big play weapon. And he just turned 26 and still has upside.
- Zeke Elliott- From 2016-2018, Zeke was the #1 playmaker on this team. But the toll of 2,588 total touches from college to now along with a knee injury last year has made him a step slower. He still is a very effective power runner and excellent pass blocker. But he can no longer be considered a big play threat as he once was. In the last 3 years, he’s only had one run over 40 yards. His first 3 years he had 7. Zeke still has something left but he needs to be used LESS, because he’s not the weapon he once was.
Some other potential weapons include Dalton Schultz, rookie WR Jalen Tolbert (I expect him to join this list soon) and perhaps new FA WR James Washington.
How would you rank our offensive weapons based on playmaking ability?
