Secondary bigger concern than RB

[Rockport]

To me the secondary is going to be much more of an issue in the upcoming season than the running game. The offensive line we have will open some big holes, just like last year, that our RB's will be able to exploit. And I feel that Stephen meant what he said about player acquisition being a year around effort. So what we have now may not be what we have against the Giants opening day.

I'm much more worried about our CB's and Safeties. Our best CB is Scandrick who would probably be the #2 CB on many NFL teams. Carr is serviceable and came on a bit towards the end of last year but before then, he was JAG. Claiborne is a bust. No sugar coating it. And he may not be 100% by training camp. Patmon is young and has been inconsistent. Who else do we have? The #1 pick Jones is a rookie. Rookies scare me. He's going to take his lumps his first year or two. It's just a fact. As far as the safeties, we haven't had a decent one since Woody. Wilcox shows flashes but he's also been inconsistent because of his youth. Church is a liability in the passing game as well. I think the team is hoping that an improved pass rush will help out but Hardy's not going to be around for a long time. Gregory is a rookie and rookie DE's historically do not have much impact in their first year. Heck JJ Watt only had 5.5 sacks his rookie year. Lawrence showed something in the playoffs and hopefully he'll be able to continue that improvement but that's still a bit of a question. Crawford is OK but only had 3 sacks last year. As far as sack production Mincey had the most with 6.

This board is filled with talk about trading for a RB but I would rather them trade for a top 20 CB.

 

[Risen Star]

I lay awake at night worrying about our cornerbacks.

They are the key to our season. They are the key to any season.

 

[Nightman]

The front office doesn't seem concerned about the RB situation

Cap hits for CBs
Carr..............12.7m
Claiborne.......5.2m
Oscan.............4.3m
BJones...........2.1m
White..............1.5m
Patmon..........500k
.......................24.8m

Cap hits for RBs
Dunbar.............1.5m
McFadden.......1.1m
Williams...........700k
Randle..............632k
.........................3.9m

 

[Howboutdemcowboys31]

The front office doesn't seem concerned about the RB situation

Cap hits for CBs
Carr..............12.7m
Claiborne.......5.2m
Oscan.............4.3m
BJones...........2.1m
White..............1.5m
Patmon..........500k
.......................24.8m

Cap hits for RBs
Dunbar.............1.5m
McFadden.......1.1m
Williams...........700k
Randle..............632k
.........................3.9m

Exactly. We've spent the resources at corner two of them just didn't pan out (Clay and Carr)

 

[Arkyvarminter]

Good corners are much harder to find than Rb's. I think Jones comes in and starts somewhere, along with Scandrick and Carr. I think Carr stays on a new deal. I think things will look much like last year at the beginning of the season but the D will get much better as the rookies learn the D and Hardy comes back. I think we'll be ok. Just get to the playoffs, pray no one gets injured along the way and our chances are very good.......

 

[StarBoyz83]

Im more worried about dt, nt , cb more than rb.

 

[Arkyvarminter]

Im more worried about dt, nt , cb more than rb.

I am too but I still haven't convinced myself that letting Murray go was a good idea or that the backs we have now can get it done. We won't know until the season starts. A lot of time to wonder.......

 

[Nightman]

I think Carr and OScan get new deals

 

[JBell]

We don't have any pro bowlers, but I think we're actually pretty deep in the secondary. We're 5 deep at CB. The safety depth looks terrible at first glance if we have to rely on Heath or McCray to play meaningful snaps. But when you remember guys like Byron Jones and Corey White have the flexibility to play safety, it's not that bad. And hopefully the intention is to play White solely at safety since he got torched at CB last season.

And when you factor in that we'll have a pass rush this year, it's like everyone gets better by 2 points. Like an average looking guy who drives a porsche.

 

[Eanwen]

I'm concerned about the pass defense in total, whether it's getting good pressure on the qb or great coverage. The Cowboys weren't great at either last year or IMO for awhile now. I hope we've improved both areas (it seems a forgone conclusion that the pass rush will be better but the season hasn't started yet).

 

[ConstantReboot]

LOL runningback is a much bigger concern than CB.

We addressed corner by using our 1st round pick. Plus we also added passrushers in the 2nd and 5th round which will help our corners and safeties. We also signed Hardy as a free agent.

I believe Marinelli knows what his doing. Fix the passrush you can fix some of the problems with our corners. So I don't think its much of a problem at all.

Runningback is a glaring blackhole which is covered up by the FO saying that "they're fine." No they are not fine. Just like Romo isn't getting any younger this year.

You don't waste many years of building an oline and going out and signing Collins. Then have a bunch of unproven runningbacks drive the wheel. Its like having grandma drive a Ferrari.

McFadden maybe the best among all of them. But he hasn't had a productive season in many years and is often injured just as much as Murray. So he is unproven.

Ryan Williams has never been healthy since being in the league. Then you have Randle who is nothing more than a product of our oline. He goes down on the slightest of contact and needs big holes to run behind. I don't think he'll hold up being the main ball carrier. Aside from a few good runs this season,he hasn't really done that much. Lastly, Dumbar....well he is the epitome of mediocre. He never scored a TD in the NFL and will probably be seeing limited action. Frankly, Cowboys would do themselves a favor by cutting Dumbar.

This bunch is not what you want carrying the team. If we don't get a reliable, bellcow type of back, then were setting ourselves up for a big disappointment.

 

[superonyx]

We had a 28th ranked pass rush last year...
Do you remember Revis when he was with the Bucs? Of course you don't. No one does. He was mr irrelevant. Any corner will be toast without a pass rush.

We upgraded the secondary in a big way by upgrading the pass rush. No worries at corner. More worries with consistent lass rush than corner.

 

[Rockport]

We don't have any pro bowlers, but I think we're actually pretty deep in the secondary. We're 5 deep at CB. The safety depth looks terrible at first glance if we have to rely on Heath or McCray to play meaningful snaps. But when you remember guys like Byron Jones and Corey White have the flexibility to play safety, it's not that bad. And hopefully the intention is to play White solely at safety since he got torched at CB last season.

And when you factor in that we'll have a pass rush this year, it's like everyone gets better by 2 points. Like an average looking guy who drives a porsche.

At least for the first half of the year our pass rush will be about the same as last year. Rookie DE's aren't usually effective. Hardy won't be out there either. How can it be better?

 

[Rockport]

We had a 28th ranked pass rush last year...
Do you remember Revis when he was with the Bucs? Of course you don't. No one does. He was mr irrelevant. Any corner will be toast without a pass rush.

We upgraded the secondary in a big way by upgrading the pass rush. No worries at corner. More worries with consistent lass rush than corner.

What pass rush?

 

[tm1119]

If/when Hardy, Gregory, and Lawrence are on the field playing up to their potential the CB's will be just fine. And don't forget about Corey White. He's not great or anything but he and Jones will are both versatile additions to the secondary. + Lee adding his coverage ability from the WIL spot when he's on the field will add a noticeable difference too.

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

You can pick flaws for any position if you really want to. I think we are the deepest at cb in quite some time. Don't care if you have pro bowl cb's, without a pass rush (last year), they will get burned. We have our pass rush now, and our secondary won't have to cover for extended periods. And aren't we playing man to man coverage this year instead of zone? So a change in philosophy will help guys like Claiborne and others who struggled in zone.

 

[Cover 2]

To me the secondary is going to be much more of an issue in the upcoming season than the running game. The offensive line we have will open some big holes, just like last year, that our RB's will be able to exploit. And I feel that Stephen meant what he said about player acquisition being a year around effort. So what we have now may not be what we have against the Giants opening day.

I'm much more worried about our CB's and Safeties. Our best CB is Scandrick who would probably be the #2 CB on many NFL teams. Carr is serviceable and came on a bit towards the end of last year but before then, he was JAG. Claiborne is a bust. No sugar coating it. And he may not be 100% by training camp. Patmon is young and has been inconsistent. Who else do we have? The #1 pick Jones is a rookie. Rookies scare me. He's going to take his lumps his first year or two. It's just a fact.

Scandrick played much better than a #2. To me he played at a level that bordered Pro Bowl caliber last season.

Carr is inconsistent, I'll agree, but with an improved pass rush I think you'll see him perform better this year.

I agree about Claiborne, but am hoping he can show why he was a top pick in the draft. That would put this defense over the top.

I like Patmon. He seems like he has the most playmaking ability in the secondary, but he does need to improve. Then again, so do most rookies. I'm not saying he'll ever be a starting caliber corner, but he did flash some ability last season. Hopefully he continues to improve.

I agree about rookie corners. I like Jones more at FS though.

As far as the safeties, we haven't had a decent one since Woody. Wilcox shows flashes but he's also been inconsistent because of his youth. Church is a liability in the passing game as well.

Roy Williams?



If Byron Jones plays FS this would strengthen the unit. He is not only an elite athlete, but he is intelligent and by all accounts a hard worker. Assuming he is able to quickly diagnose what's happening on the field and if he can stay healthy, I can't see why he wouldn't be an elite safety.

I would then be okay with Wilcox and Church competing for the SS spot. Neither player is horrible, but I highly doubt they'll be playing in Hawaii any time soon.

I think the team is hoping that an improved pass rush will help out but Hardy's not going to be around for a long time. Gregory is a rookie and rookie DE's historically do not have much impact in their first year. Heck JJ Watt only had 5.5 sacks his rookie year. Lawrence showed something in the playoffs and hopefully he'll be able to continue that improvement but that's still a bit of a question. Crawford is OK but only had 3 sacks last year. As far as sack production Mincey had the most with 6.

We'll see how long Hardy is truly out after the appeal is heard. Assuming he can replicate his performance prior to being forced to sit out, he will make a huge difference to the defense.

I mostly agree about Gregory, but some times they do make an impact their rookie year, although most likely probably not what he will do by Year 3 assuming he pans out. You do have to remember about JJ Watt though that he is a 3-4 end, and they typically don't get the sacks that 4-3 ends do.

Lawrence did show something in the playoffs, and I hope it continues. That said I'm not sold on him yet. He didn't do much in rushing the passer prior to that. I know he missed a lot of time in the offseason that is crucial to player development, but he still didn't show enough that we can plan on him being a disruptive presence (not saying it won't happen, it just hasn't yet).

I agree about Crawford. If he turns out to just be a solid rotational guy I would be more than happy with that.

Mincey is a guy I'm really high on this coming up season. He played well last year.

Our defensive ends are largely unproven, but there is a lot of potential there. I really am looking forward to seeing if they can reach their potential. If so, our defense could very well be a top 10 one.

This board is filled with talk about trading for a RB but I would rather them trade for a top 20 CB.

A good pass rush will make the corners look better. A good RB will help us build on what was accomplished last season. This doesn't even take into account the contract differences between the two positions which could prevent us from resigning key players.

 

[xwalker]

To me the secondary is going to be much more of an issue in the upcoming season than the running game. The offensive line we have will open some big holes, just like last year, that our RB's will be able to exploit. And I feel that Stephen meant what he said about player acquisition being a year around effort. So what we have now may not be what we have against the Giants opening day.

I'm much more worried about our CB's and Safeties. Our best CB is Scandrick who would probably be the #2 CB on many NFL teams. Carr is serviceable and came on a bit towards the end of last year but before then, he was JAG. Claiborne is a bust. No sugar coating it. And he may not be 100% by training camp. Patmon is young and has been inconsistent. Who else do we have? The #1 pick Jones is a rookie. Rookies scare me. He's going to take his lumps his first year or two. It's just a fact. As far as the safeties, we haven't had a decent one since Woody. Wilcox shows flashes but he's also been inconsistent because of his youth. Church is a liability in the passing game as well. I think the team is hoping that an improved pass rush will help out but Hardy's not going to be around for a long time. Gregory is a rookie and rookie DE's historically do not have much impact in their first year. Heck JJ Watt only had 5.5 sacks his rookie year. Lawrence showed something in the playoffs and hopefully he'll be able to continue that improvement but that's still a bit of a question. Crawford is OK but only had 3 sacks last year. As far as sack production Mincey had the most with 6.

This board is filled with talk about trading for a RB but I would rather them trade for a top 20 CB.

Good post.

I'm OK with a starting lineup of:

Scandrick
Jones
Carr
Wilcox
Church

The problem is will they keep Carr and the depth at Safety with Jones at CB. They were 1 injury away from Jeff Heath starting last year. Patmon has flashed, but I would be very concerned with him being a top 3 CB this year. He really has not played many snaps. Corey White is the wildcard. He has played both CB and Safety. I can see him being a better 3rd CB than Moore was last season, but anything a player is cut in April, they must have some warts.

 

[Rockport]

Scandrick played much better than a #2. To me he played at a level that bordered Pro Bowl caliber last season.

Carr is inconsistent, I'll agree, but with an improved pass rush I think you'll see him perform better this year.

I agree about Claiborne, but am hoping he can show why he was a top pick in the draft. That would put this defense over the top.

I like Patmon. He seems like he has the most playmaking ability in the secondary, but he does need to improve. Then again, so do most rookies. I'm not saying he'll ever be a starting caliber corner, but he did flash some ability last season. Hopefully he continues to improve.

I agree about rookie corners. I like Jones more at FS though.


Roy Williams?



If Byron Jones plays FS this would strengthen the unit. He is not only an elite athlete, but he is intelligent and by all accounts a hard worker. Assuming he is able to quickly diagnose what's happening on the field and if he can stay healthy, I can't see why he wouldn't be an elite safety.

I would then be okay with Wilcox and Church competing for the SS spot. Neither player is horrible, but I highly doubt they'll be playing in Hawaii any time soon.

We'll see how long Hardy is truly out after the appeal is heard. Assuming he can replicate his performance prior to being forced to sit out, he will make a huge difference to the defense.

I mostly agree about Gregory, but some times they do make an impact their rookie year, although most likely probably not what he will do by Year 3 assuming he pans out. You do have to remember about JJ Watt though that he is a 3-4 end, and they typically don't get the sacks that 4-3 ends do.

Lawrence did show something in the playoffs, and I hope it continues. That said I'm not sold on him yet. He didn't do much in rushing the passer prior to that. I know he missed a lot of time in the offseason that is crucial to player development, but he still didn't show enough that we can plan on him being a disruptive presence (not saying it won't happen, it just hasn't yet).

I agree about Crawford. If he turns out to just be a solid rotational guy I would be more than happy with that.

Mincey is a guy I'm really high on this coming up season. He played well last year.

Our defensive ends are largely unproven, but there is a lot of potential there. I really am looking forward to seeing if they can reach their potential. If so, our defense could very well be a top 10 one.

A good pass rush will make the corners look better. A good RB will help us build on what was accomplished last season. This doesn't even take into account the contract differences between the two positions which could prevent us from resigning key players.

But where is the improved pass rush coming from? Everyone keeps saying that but I don't see it at least for the first half of the year and probably longer. Hardy hasn't played in over a year. He's not going to be the same guy when he comes back.

 

[Nightman]

But where is the improved pass rush coming from? Everyone keeps saying that but I don't see it at least for the first half of the year and probably longer. Hardy hasn't played in over a year. He's not going to be the same guy when he comes back.

DLaw, Hardy and Gregory >>>>>> Spencer ,Selvie and JCrawford??