CFZ Sometimes you can have too many developmental players

[Bobhaze]

It was a pre-season game last night, so some of the fan reactions were overblown of course. But one reaction that may be on target is wondering if our backup OL are really capable backups. Maybe, maybe not. Frankly, I have been seeing perhaps too many “developmental“ type guys and not enough “win now” guys as OL backups.

If this is a Super Bowl caliber team as we all hope (and are being told by our owner/GM) I have a serious question: Are we trying to win a championship NOW or are we trying to rebuild for a championship down the road?
The answer to that question by our front office will undoubtedly be- “Both”.

But I contend that it’s possible to have too many developmental players. Having 4-5 on an entire roster is good. Having 4 on an entire position group like the OL is playing with fire. Especially if “winning now” is the goal.

Look at how many “projects” we currently have on the OL:

• Josh Ball- (4th round 2021)
• Matt Farniok (7th round 2021)
• Matt Waletzko (5th round 2022)
• Asim Richards (5th round 2023)

All of these guys are Day 3 draft picks, usually slotted as backups and developmental projects.

Let’s be honest- Josh Ball is bad. If we take off the fan glasses and are being objective, he’s not very good. Farniok is probably way further along than Ball, but in his 3rd year, he’s not exactly tearing it up. His ability to play C, G and maybe occasionally swing T gives him some leeway. Waletzko is very raw and this is really like his first year because of an injury last year. Richards is a rookie and it’s just too early to know what he’s going to be.

And we haven’t even talked about other developmental projects:

• Kelvin Joseph (2nd round, 2021)
• Nahshon Wright (3rd round, 2021)
• Issac Alarcon (UFA)
• Jabril Cox (4th round 2021)

KJ has shown very little at CB. He’s been good on STs but for a second rounder starting his 3rd season to not even be close to starting is ridiculous. Yes he has a lot of talent. But it hasn’t translated yet. Nahshon Wright has been less than stellar and he’s also in year 3. The additions of DeRon Bland and Eric Scott- both flashed early and are looking good also makes Wright and KJ expendable. Cox was thought to be capable of starting by now but he’s been very slow to develop. Alarcon is a feel good story but that better suited for a Disney movie than a championship roster.

Bottom line for me- it’s time to cut bait with several of these players. There will be some good players available when final roster cuts are made by other teams. Having too many guys we are supposed to be patient with can spell disaster if a starter goes down and misses more than a game.

IMO- It’s time to move on with several of these guys.

 

[T-RO]

And we haven’t even talked about other developmental projects:

• Kelvin Joseph (2nd round, 2021)
• Nahshon Wright (3rd round, 2021)
• Issac Alarcon (UFA)
• Jabril Cox (4th round 2021)

C'mon Bob, Chasing your narratives too hard causes you to face plant. As you have here.

Developmental Projects!?

-Kelvin was viewed by draft consensus as a near-ready CB. The caveat? He was a head case with lots of concerns.
-Jabril Cox was viewed by draft consensus as a near-ready LB, without the caveats. For whatever reason he just hasn't developed.
-Isaac Alarcorn is an ongoing public relations stunt whom the Cowboys have always known would never see the field (no draft pick/cap hit involved)
-Wright is a guy who matched Q's profile. Might work. Might not.

Not even one of these guys are validly described as "developmental project."

My message to you: Don't diminish your fine brand with this nonsense, nor attempt to falsely leverage it and think someone won't notice.

 

[DandyDon52]

it is how the jones boys operate.
They always seem to leave glaring holes somewhere.
Most of their focus is on signing the star players they like.
They think that it will all work itself out because they have their stars.

What I saw today is the same old cowboys only worse, partly due to the OL and blocking schemes which are still bad.
Jaqs looked to be the better coached team . they executed better and looked sharper.
Cowboys also started slow ....again.

I guess the kicker aubrey missed a extra point? fans wont like that lol.

I will add the KJ should never have been drafted, so the jones boys created the problem by drafting him and worse in 2nd round.
Then he takes up a roster spot for 4 seasons lol. This is just poor GM work.
Nashon, was a questionable pick, in low round, so the main mistake there is keeping him and letting him occupy a roster spot.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

C'mon Bob, Chasing your narratives too hard causes you to face plant. As you have here.

Developmental Projects!?

-Kelvin was viewed by draft consensus as a near-ready CB. The caveat? He was a head case with lots of concerns.
-Jabril Cox was viewed by draft consensus as a near-ready LB, without the caveats. For whatever reason he just hasn't developed.
-Isaac Alarcorn is an ongoing public relations stunt whom the Cowboys have always known would never see the field (no draft pick/cap hit involved)
-Wright is a guy who matched Q's profile. Might work. Might not.

Not even one of these guys are validly described as "developmental project."

My message to you: Don't diminish your fine brand with this nonsense, nor attempt to falsely leverage it and think someone won't notice.

Yeah I agree with this. Not only that but a lot of those guys don’t even have to pan out because they hit on so many guys. Bland more than makes up for Bossman.

The offensive line is a mess but Ball is probably the only one that just can’t handle it. I’m pretty confident in the rest.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

it is how the jones boys operate.
They always seem to leave glaring holes somewhere.
Most of their focus is on signing the star players they like.
They think that it will all work itself out because they have their stars.

What I saw today is the same old cowboys only worse, partly due to the OL and blocking schemes which are still bad.
Jaqs looked to be the better coached team . they executed better and looked sharper.
Cowboys also started slow ....again.

I guess the kicker aubrey missed a extra point? fans wont like that lol.

I will add the KJ should never have been drafted, so the jones boys created the problem by drafting him and worse in 2nd round.
Then he takes up a roster spot for 4 seasons lol. This is just poor GM work.
Nashon, was a questionable pick, in low round, so the main mistake there is keeping him and letting him occupy a roster spot.

Cowboys have one of the best rosters in the league. If you have a problem with their approach or the team they’ve built then you aren’t being realistic. This is not the 90s. There’s a salary cap..

Jags looked sharper….uhhh yeah because those were starters you were watching against our 2nd and 3rd string guys lol.

All in all there’s no reason to nitpick over a preseason game. I know the excitement is back but that game meant nothing and the only real concern should be who the kicker is.

 

[DuncanIso]

Hopefully Solari can clean up this mess.

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

Cowboys have one of the best rosters in the league. If you have a problem with their approach or the team they’ve built then you aren’t being realistic. This is not the 90s. There’s a salary cap..

Jags looked sharper….uhhh yeah because those were starters you were watching against our 2nd and 3rd string guys lol.

All in all there’s no reason to nitpick over a preseason game. I know the excitement is back but that game meant nothing and the only real concern should be who the kicker is.

Their starters struggled against the Dallas backups too. Guarantee Pederson thought his starters would run down the field for a drive, score a touchdown and be done. Instead they got picked on their first drive and stopped again on their second. Then he put them out there again after a turnover so he didn’t sabotage their confidence. If the shoe was on the other foot this place would be in full meltdown

 

[SBWinner]

C'mon Bob, Chasing your narratives too hard causes you to face plant. As you have here.

Developmental Projects!?

-Kelvin was viewed by draft consensus as a near-ready CB. The caveat? He was a head case with lots of concerns.
-Jabril Cox was viewed by draft consensus as a near-ready LB, without the caveats. For whatever reason he just hasn't developed.
-Isaac Alarcorn is an ongoing public relations stunt whom the Cowboys have always known would never see the field (no draft pick/cap hit involved)
-Wright is a guy who matched Q's profile. Might work. Might not.

Not even one of these guys are validly described as "developmental project."

My message to you: Don't diminish your fine brand with this nonsense, nor attempt to falsely leverage it and think someone won't notice.

He isn't talking about their draft position, he is talking about where they are as players right now. I have to say I agree 100% with this post. This O-line is one injury away from disaster and derailing the season, not to mention getting our QB killed. The Cowboys front office needs to give up a draft pick or two to get some veteran offensive line help on this team during pre-season to give time for the new additions to gel. We need to identify who the starting tackles are and who we need to backup as quality in case we have injuries. The last few years, the injuries have piled up on the line. This is piss poor planning by the team. For some reason, every year they have to act cavalier on a certain position group or player that ends up biting them in the ***. The OL is their problem this year, and it's not a good one.

 

[SBWinner]

Cowboys have one of the best rosters in the league. If you have a problem with their approach or the team they’ve built then you aren’t being realistic. This is not the 90s. There’s a salary cap..

Jags looked sharper….uhhh yeah because those were starters you were watching against our 2nd and 3rd string guys lol.

All in all there’s no reason to nitpick over a preseason game. I know the excitement is back but that game meant nothing and the only real concern should be who the kicker is.

They could have drafted a G in the second round this year instead of a TE. In fact a quality G was drafted right after their pick of Schoonmaker.

 

[Section446]

That's every team though.

 

[Diehardblues]

No one ready to assume Martins positions .

Our backups are like an OL by Committee. Certain to spoil the expectations for this season if called upon.

 

[starfan1]

It was a pre-season game last night, so some of the fan reactions were overblown of course. But one reaction that may be on target is wondering if our backup OL are really capable backups. Maybe, maybe not. Frankly, I have been seeing perhaps too many “developmental“ type guys and not enough “win now” guys as OL backups.

If this is a Super Bowl caliber team as we all hope (and are being told by our owner/GM) I have a serious question: Are we trying to win a championship NOW or are we trying to rebuild for a championship down the road?
The answer to that question by our front office will undoubtedly be- “Both”.

But I contend that it’s possible to have too many developmental players. Having 4-5 on an entire roster is good. Having 4 on an entire position group like the OL is playing with fire. Especially if “winning now” is the goal.

Look at how many “projects” we currently have on the OL:

• Josh Ball- (4th round 2021)
• Matt Farniok (7th round 2021)
• Matt Waletzko (5th round 2022)
• Asim Richards (5th round 2023)

All of these guys are Day 3 draft picks, usually slotted as backups and developmental projects.

Let’s be honest- Josh Ball is bad. If we take off the fan glasses and are being objective, he’s not very good. Farniok is probably way further along than Ball, but in his 3rd year, he’s not exactly tearing it up. His ability to play C, G and maybe occasionally swing T gives him some leeway. Waletzko is very raw and this is really like his first year because of an injury last year. Richards is a rookie and it’s just too early to know what he’s going to be.

And we haven’t even talked about other developmental projects:

• Kelvin Joseph (2nd round, 2021)
• Nahshon Wright (3rd round, 2021)
• Issac Alarcon (UFA)
• Jabril Cox (4th round 2021)

KJ has shown very little at CB. He’s been good on STs but for a second rounder starting his 3rd season to not even be close to starting is ridiculous. Yes he has a lot of talent. But it hasn’t translated yet. Nahshon Wright has been less than stellar and he’s also in year 3. The additions of DeRon Bland and Eric Scott- both flashed early and are looking good also makes Wright and KJ expendable. Cox was thought to be capable of starting by now but he’s been very slow to develop. Alarcon is a feel good story but that better suited for a Disney movie than a championship roster.

Bottom line for me- it’s time to cut bait with several of these players. There will be some good players available when final roster cuts are made by other teams. Having too many guys we are supposed to be patient with can spell disaster if a starter goes down and misses more than a game.

IMO- It’s time to move on with several of these guys.

of the 8 you mention half should be practice squad or gone but my guess is outside of Alacarn they will all be here because of numbers at the position they play or their draft status. We need help on the OL Ball is garbage Waletzco is concernimng as well and without a doubt they will be relied upon

But hey the good news is we have a second round TE that may start by week 8

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

They could have drafted a G in the second round this year instead of a TE. In fact a quality G was drafted right after their pick of Schoonmaker.

They could’ve. They didn’t like the guards there.

 

[big dog cowboy]

It was a pre-season game last night, so some of the fan reactions were overblown of course.

Bingo! Look at the starting OL last night. How many of them have ever stated a game in this league? Have they all ever played together?

Despite all that they weren't terrible. Everyone knows the OL have to play together to develop chemistry.

For a majority of people there expectation was simply to high given the circumstances. Last night's OL wasn't going to be The Great Wall part 2.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I guess the kicker aubrey missed a extra point? fans wont like that lol.

Did you bother to find out why? Things just don't happen without a reason. It was the holders fault but instead you throw shade at the kicker unnecessarily.

 

[big dog cowboy]

They could have drafted a G in the second round this year instead of a TE. In fact a quality G was drafted right after their pick of Schoonmaker.

Ugh this again! The Cowboys didn't like Torrence. On draft day Solari told the guys on the draft coverage that they are looking for "athletic" offensive linemen and didn't feel he was.

 

[Big_D]

8 developmental players on a 53 man roster. That’s probably the norm around the NFL. You get 7 draftees, a handful of undrafteds and a handful of free agents. Hopelly out of all that you come away with 5-10 legit contributors. That’s not a big yearly turnaround and development is a necessary part of it. At least we’re seeing an actual process and not just throwing that word around for 10 years!

 

[shabazz]

It was a pre-season game last night, so some of the fan reactions were overblown of course. But one reaction that may be on target is wondering if our backup OL are really capable backups. Maybe, maybe not. Frankly, I have been seeing perhaps too many “developmental“ type guys and not enough “win now” guys as OL backups.

If this is a Super Bowl caliber team as we all hope (and are being told by our owner/GM) I have a serious question: Are we trying to win a championship NOW or are we trying to rebuild for a championship down the road?
The answer to that question by our front office will undoubtedly be- “Both”.

But I contend that it’s possible to have too many developmental players. Having 4-5 on an entire roster is good. Having 4 on an entire position group like the OL is playing with fire. Especially if “winning now” is the goal.

Look at how many “projects” we currently have on the OL:

• Josh Ball- (4th round 2021)
• Matt Farniok (7th round 2021)
• Matt Waletzko (5th round 2022)
• Asim Richards (5th round 2023)

All of these guys are Day 3 draft picks, usually slotted as backups and developmental projects.

Let’s be honest- Josh Ball is bad. If we take off the fan glasses and are being objective, he’s not very good. Farniok is probably way further along than Ball, but in his 3rd year, he’s not exactly tearing it up. His ability to play C, G and maybe occasionally swing T gives him some leeway. Waletzko is very raw and this is really like his first year because of an injury last year. Richards is a rookie and it’s just too early to know what he’s going to be.

And we haven’t even talked about other developmental projects:

• Kelvin Joseph (2nd round, 2021)
• Nahshon Wright (3rd round, 2021)
• Issac Alarcon (UFA)
• Jabril Cox (4th round 2021)

KJ has shown very little at CB. He’s been good on STs but for a second rounder starting his 3rd season to not even be close to starting is ridiculous. Yes he has a lot of talent. But it hasn’t translated yet. Nahshon Wright has been less than stellar and he’s also in year 3. The additions of DeRon Bland and Eric Scott- both flashed early and are looking good also makes Wright and KJ expendable. Cox was thought to be capable of starting by now but he’s been very slow to develop. Alarcon is a feel good story but that better suited for a Disney movie than a championship roster.

Bottom line for me- it’s time to cut bait with several of these players. There will be some good players available when final roster cuts are made by other teams. Having too many guys we are supposed to be patient with can spell disaster if a starter goes down and misses more than a game.

IMO- It’s time to move on with several of these guys.

C'mon Bob, Chasing your narratives too hard causes you to face plant. As you have here.

Developmental Projects!?

-Kelvin was viewed by draft consensus as a near-ready CB. The caveat? He was a head case with lots of concerns.
-Jabril Cox was viewed by draft consensus as a near-ready LB, without the caveats. For whatever reason he just hasn't developed.
-Isaac Alarcorn is an ongoing public relations stunt whom the Cowboys have always known would never see the field (no draft pick/cap hit involved)
-Wright is a guy who matched Q's profile. Might work. Might not.

Not even one of these guys are validly described as "developmental project."

My message to you: Don't diminish your fine brand with this nonsense, nor attempt to falsely leverage it and think someone won't notice.

After reading both posts I can’t help but think that both of you can be a bit right…….we are probably somewhere in the middle with these comments

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

"Cut bait" from them? OK.

Who do you replace them with?

There aren't experienced oLineman out there just waiting for teams to call them to come in and be cheap backups. We are what we are at this point.

 

[DCwarrior]

8 developmental players on a 53 man roster. That’s probably the norm around the NFL. You get 7 draftees, a handful of undrafteds and a handful of free agents. Hopelly out of all that you come away with 5-10 legit contributors. That’s not a big yearly turnaround and development is a necessary part of it. At least we’re seeing an actual process and not just throwing that word around for 10 years!

It’s a process.