CFZ Team weaknesses as of mid April

[DandyDon52]

DALLAS had a decent FA, so I figure now they will screw up the draft somehow.
they will get some guys like taco,hill,joseph aka bossman lol,connor williams,feheko, the other wr they got that cant play , etc etc.
they will get 1 or 2 decent players, but no IMPACT players.
No qb, as they have the hof er dak who says he is ready to win now.

 

[Jarntt]

Have you started to realize that the Eagles just never have cap issues because their GM knows how to beat the system?

No. Absolutely wrong. There is no system to beat. Every penny needs to hit the cap. All he does is kick it down the road. I'm not sure how to explain it to you or people who always say this and just don't seem to understand. Here is one way. Look at the Eagles base salary for every single player. There is only one player on the team making over $2.7M (we have 11) and none making over $4.2M (we have 7). That means he has restructured every player possible for almost every possible $. Now look at any other NFL team

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/cap/


Now look at the dead money for players that left after 2022 or whose contracts ended and were re-signed and the dead money. Not players who were cut like Zeke or Collins, who always have dead money, but players whose contracts just ended:
Cox : $15.3M
Hargrave: $12M
Brooks: $9.8M
Seumalo: $7.5M
Bradberry (was only there one year but they restructured any way!): $5M

Now look at all of the Eagles players whose contracts are up after this year (some are the same guys but this is additional dead money on top of this year's) and look at the dead money after they are no longer even on the team or are re-signed on a new contract.
Kelce: $24.2M
Cox: $14.3M
Graham: $13.2M
Barnett: $7.2M

And I'm not even including all of the other big contracts in which they already have guys with huge dead money hits at contract end. Every team backloads contracts to help the current year's cap. No team is even close to Philly in this respect. That is why they are able to pay so many guys but the day of reckoning will come because like I said that money doesn't go away. All you can do is move it back.

 

[DandyDon52]

I like to look at it from the perspective of wining in the playoffs. Our offense scored 12 points which wasn't nearly enough. We've lost Brown and signed Cooks so that should be a plus. There are no certainties but I think he will most likely be a much better addition than Washington was. We lost McGovern, Schultz, and Zeke and signed some vets that probably aren't as good. so on the whole the offense that wasn't good enough is worse at this point. They need to draft a RB capable of getting more than 3.8 YPC and able to handle at least part of Zeke's 231 carries last season. They also need a starting caliber OG preferably one that would be an upgrade to McGovern that could step in when Tyron gets hurt again. TEs usually take some time to acclimate to the NFL so I'm a little doubtful that they'll find someone in the draft that can step right in and replace Schultz's production so it will probably be up to the guys from last year to pick up the slack. Other than Lamb, our WR group was not good against the 49ers and although Cooks helps, adding a playmaker to the group that could work into to the offense as the season goes on would be valuable if they do make the playoffs again this season. Most of the teams that won in the divisional round had better WR groups than ours excluding the Chiefs who seem to only need Kelce and Mahomes.

you need some breaks in your post lol.
but I agree, smart thing is to get 2-3 impact players. Mainly for the offense.
RB WR QB.
QB get duggan or a good running qb that they can use this year at certain times.

 

[NotForLong]

truth hurts dont it

 

[Robster8989]

We have none. Which is why we could sit out free agency yet again.

A round of applause for the front office.

Seems to be the general consensus on the board, doesn't it?
Just give us the trophy.
I commend the FO for the Gilmore and Cooks deals. Wise moves, well done. I'm also glad we resigned Wilson, amd LVE to a lesser extent, Hankins too. So overall, so far it's been a solid offseason.
But this team still needs improvement.

Out DT tackle rotation is not very good.
Osa is really solid, Hankins is a solid role player. Golston showed a little late last year, but is still unproven. Gallimore and Bohanna IMO were barely NFL caliber players last year. A lot of room to improve there.
We are very thin at LB. LVE had a solid year, but he is still not that attack the LOS player we needed (like Bobby Wagner). Clark and Cox are totally unproven. Kearse, luckily, is essentially a LB, but still not the run stuffer we need. I like Jack Campbell a lot in the draft.
As of today I still see us being unable to make key 3rd down stops when it matters, and opponents gaping us in the run game late in games (the way it's been the last 2 seasons).

Edge is fairly deep, but you never pass on improving at that vital position.

We are solid at S, but CB could still use work, as Gilmore is a 1 year gap filler, so getting another CB would be wise.

On Offense, we could use another OL, TE, and RB.
People saying we have 5 solid starters on the OL. Are we really counting on Tyron again? Really? He's a part time player at best. I like Edoga, but we still need another stud young OL. Wright, Torrence or Avila fit the bill for me.
TE has regressed since last season, we need another solid player there, hopefully we get one in the draft.
We need a young RB to pair with TP. Luckily this draft is deep at RB, with quality backs likely available late day 2 or early day 3.
WR looks better, but you never pass on improving there (like Edge).

Luckily for us, we have been drafting well of late so can fill several holes in the draft.
Plus there are still FA's out there who can help, and likely more will hit the market after the Draft.
I'm excited by the early moves, but this team is still a work in progress, but I am hopeful as we seem to be identifying key needs better than we have in the past.

 

[DanA]

Cooper Rush was 4-1 because our defense was playing lights out! Where are you? Some of you seem to forget just how well our defense was playing when Rush was in there. You had fans and even a few in the media that were comparing our pass rush to the 85 Bears. Our defense never gave up more than 17 points in the 4 wins we had under Rush. and a grand total of only 53 points in those 4 wins. The only game we gave up more than 17 points we lost. We were only scoring one TD per game with Rush. He only threw 4 TD passes in those four wins. Our defense was playing so great we won a game with Rush passing for just over 100 yards against the Rams. He was struggling to pass for 200 yards.

We were winning games with our defense and kicker. While our defense was pushing the top 5, our pass rush was on pace to break the 85 Bears record for sacks. However, our offense was dead under Rush. Our offense ranked in the mid-20s with him. Our passing offense was ranked 28th at one point. When Dak returned we became the highest scoring offense in the NFL, but our defense started to fall off. Our vaunted pass rush completely disappeared. Our defense started giving up a lot of points. Our win over Philly was against Gardner Minshew, but he put up over 330 yards on our defense. It took 40 points to beat them. The Cowboys have won 19 regular games with Dak the past two seasons, including a playoff win over Tom Brady. You don’t accomplish that with a QB who’s more of a liability than an asset.

Cooper Rush helped our defense by not turning over the ball and giving us good field position. I’m not for a minute suggesting he’s as good as Dak, I’m just refuting the “12-5…Dak must be good” argument.

And yes, the 49ers have shown in two play offs against us that you don’t need a great QB to have some success.

 

[Carson]

No. Absolutely wrong. There is no system to beat. Every penny needs to hit the cap. All he does is kick it down the road. I'm not sure how to explain it to you or people who always say this and just don't seem to understand. Here is one way. Look at the Eagles base salary for every single player. There is only one player on the team making over $2.7M (we have 11) and none making over $4.2M (we have 7). That means he has restructured every player possible for almost every possible $. Now look at any other NFL team

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/cap/


Now look at the dead money for players that left after 2022 or whose contracts ended and were re-signed and the dead money. Not players who were cut like Zeke or Collins, who always have dead money, but players whose contracts just ended:
Cox : $15.3M
Hargrave: $12M
Brooks: $9.8M
Seumalo: $7.5M
Bradberry (was only there one year but they restructured any way!): $5M

Now look at all of the Eagles players whose contracts are up after this year (some are the same guys but this is additional dead money on top of this year's) and look at the dead money after they are no longer even on the team or are re-signed on a new contract.
Kelce: $24.2M
Cox: $14.3M
Graham: $13.2M
Barnett: $7.2M

And I'm not even including all of the other big contracts in which they already have guys with huge dead money hits at contract end. Every team backloads contracts to help the current year's cap. No team is even close to Philly in this respect. That is why they are able to pay so many guys but the day of reckoning will come because like I said that money doesn't go away. All you can do is move it back.

The Saints laugh at this

 

[KJJ]

Cooper Rush helped our defense by not turning over the ball and giving us good field position. I’m not for a minute suggesting he’s as good as Dak, I’m just refuting the “12-5…Dak must be good” argument.

And yes, the 49ers have shown in two play offs against us that you don’t need a great QB to have some success.

With as little as we had him do he shouldn’t be turning the ball over. He could barely throw for 200 yards. He really didn’t need to with the way our defense was playing. Once we got behind and he had to start making plays he started turning the ball over and we got beat. As for the 49ers we don’t have a defense like theirs and haven’t since the 90s. Unless their defense is playing lights out, they don’t have enough offense to win, and that was proven in the Super Bowl 3 years ago and the playoffs the past two seasons. This is why they made a trade to move up in the draft for Trey Lance. He hasn’t been any good and now they’re hoping Brock Purdy continues to develop. You’re not going to win a SB with just defense in the NFL these days.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I'm referring to Dak's performance in the playoffs and you're focusing on the regular season. The regular season means little, compared to the playoff results. There's a huge difference between doing well vs. the weaker teams and doing so vs. actual contenders. It's time for him to show results vs. the teams that test QBs more than most teams do. This year will surely be a crossroads year for him in that respect. I understand that, even if you don't. I hope he does well for his sake and for that of the team, as well.

So we didnt play the bucs in the playoffs?

 

[atlantacowboy]

Tyron really is not done. It is a question of how well prepared are they for when he is injured again.
Steele should be fine, but also will they prepare for him until his return. As he may may the start of the season.
Pollard should be fine. However they need a RB regardless. Will see what they do in the draft.

DT is the biggest issues and need another OL, if not to start at LG, then to eventually start.
Really need a good draft for depth and future starters as early as 2024.

And yes a QB to groom if it is in 2025 or as long as 2026. Dark will be here at least 2 more years regardless what some fans may or may not want.

Cowboys never address the DT position in the first 2 rounds.

 

[eromeopolk]

It’s a long time until opening day, and we still have the draft and post draft free agency to go prior to the start of the season. But as of right now, today here are my concerns:

DT (marginal starters and almost no depth)

QB (is it going to be good Dak, or Bad Dak who shows up and I don’t think Cooper Rush is very good in spite of his win total last year)

RB. I would be saying the same thing even if we had kept The Ewok as I think he is done. As of today, Pollard still can’t play. Davis and Dowdle don’t move the needle at all. We need two good playable RBs.

OL. Tyron is done. We have a hole at G and Steele hasn’t come back yet.

So, as I see it we somehow need to come out of the draft or post draft free agency with:

2 DT
2 RB
QB
OT
OG

We seriously need to add a starting quality player at 1 DT, 1 RB, 1 OT, 1 OG

We need potential starters at:

1 DT, 1RB, QB,

I love what the team has done and if the team goes BPA all the way through the draft it will not hurt my feelings at all. But some how, some where, some way, these legitimate holes need to be filled if we want that elusive SB win. I don’t think we get there otherwise.

QB is too high on the list. 2024 and 2025 draft you start look at QB.

 

[garyv]

Every team in the league has weaknesses. To portray the team in this way is disingenuous.

No everyone says the Eagles don't

 

[DanA]

With as little as we had him do he shouldn’t be turning the ball over. He could barely throw for 200 yards. He really didn’t need to with the way our defense was playing. Once we got behind and he had to start making plays he started turning the ball over and we got beat. As for the 49ers we don’t have a defense like theirs and haven’t since the 90s. Unless their defense is playing lights out, they don’t have enough offense to win, and that was proven in the Super Bowl 3 years ago and the playoffs the past two seasons. This is why they made a trade to move up in the draft for Trey Lance. He hasn’t been any good and now they’re hoping Brock Purdy continues to develop. You’re not going to win a SB with just defense in the NFL these days.

Nothing you’ve said here I disagree with but also none of it actually refutes anything I said.

Dak was either scoring 7 points, turning it over, or going 3 and out. And that made things very hard for the defense. Dak’s a good player but the all or nothing nature of how he played in 2022 wasn’t worth 40m to our team. With how our defense was playing we needed more of his 2016 mentality where he protected the ball as a priority.

The bottom line for me is we’ve had Dak’s cheap rookie years. We’ve restructured his contract twice (3rd time this year) so the cheap years are gone, it only gets harder from here. We’re fortunate because between Diggs, Lamb, and Parsons etc we’ve got a lot of talent we aren’t paying but that’s going to come to an end and then what?

 

[KJJ]

Nothing you’ve said here I disagree with but also none of it actually refutes anything I said.

Dak was either scoring 7 points, turning it over, or going 3 and out. And that made things very hard for the defense. Dak’s a good player but the all or nothing nature of how he played in 2022 wasn’t worth 40m to our team. With how our defense was playing we needed more of his 2016 mentality where he protected the ball as a priority.

The bottom line for me is we’ve had Dak’s cheap rookie years. We’ve restructured his contract twice (3rd time this year) so the cheap years are gone, it only gets harder from here. We’re fortunate because between Diggs, Lamb, and Parsons etc we’ve got a lot of talent we aren’t paying but that’s going to come to an end and then what?

It’s obvious to everyone Dak was up and down last season. He had some good games, great games and some terrible games. However, we still had a real good regular season and won a playoff game. We didn’t do him any favors with the receiving group we gave him. Granted Dak threw a lot of INTs, but some of those should’ve been completions had our receivers not played volleyball with them. Despite his flaws he’s still a very good QB who helps us win a lot of games. He just led us to the playoffs in back to back seasons for the first time since 06 and 07.

He led us to our first road playoff win in 30 years and he did it against the greatest QB in NFL history that we’ve never beaten in seven tries. Our QB situation could be a lot worse and it would be if a lot of fans on this board were running the team. Let’s see how things play out for Dak next season. We’ve made a number of changes to try and help him. If they don’t help him, then we have to start reevaluating the QB position.

 

[BoyzBlaster]

. . . Tell me you do not know about WR talent without telling me you know nothing about WR talent in the NFL

I know many are against it and mock it . . ..But you should play Fantasy Football . . . It Helps you learn about the other teams and players in the league

Cooks is and has been a Playmaker . . . He was The Texans only Play Maker . . . Washington was a "Playmaker" for like a 3 week span when Rothlesburger was still there

Isn't he saying the same thing your are (he likes the Cooks addition)?

 

[StarMan2112]

Our biggest weakness is GM.

DT is a distant second.

 

[CCBoy]

I think these are concerns that bear more than watching. They require constructive action to rectify some seemingly legitimate issues. This may well be a prove-it year for Dak to rebound from a questionable playoff performance in 2022. I'm truly hoping such a recovery materializes, please and thanks. The Cowboys enjoyed a better-than-usual offseason this year. Here's hoping our draft and its results offer some bigtime blessings.

I feel that a very strong running back is a major need for this year's team.

 

[NotForLong]

Isn't he saying the same thing your are (he likes the Cooks addition)?

He said He was not sure if Cooks was better then Washington

 

[Beaker42]

This post is one of those instances where if you had read my original post you would realize that at no point did I suggest that we “reach for an OL”. So I really don’t know where you came up with that idea.

Our OL prognosis depends on whether you are optimistic (it’s all sunshine and rainbows) Tyron is still a hall of famer, Steele will be his old self, be better than ever and start game 1, Farniok takes the next step and fills in at G or takes over at center and our young guns develop into solid starters over time.

While I will concede all of the above is possible, the smart money is probably betting it is unlikely. Realistically:

1. At best Tyron isn’t his hall of fame self, continues to regress and is unavailable for part of the year due to injury or level of play.

2. Ball/Waletzko the smart money is probably only betting that one of the two plays at a marginal swing tackle level and the other doesn’t stick with the team.

3. Steele may recover to be close to the level he was when he went down with injury, but the odds are he won’t be the same from the start of the season, at best.

4. I’m higher on Farniok than most but if you are “banking” on Farniok to be anything other than decent quality depth until he proves otherwise, it’s probably unwise to assume he will be more than he appears to be so far.

Sorry, guess I read "We probably need two instant starters on the line and depth if the line is worst case scenario and one starter and depth at best case scenario" as meaning you wanted an OL in rounds 1or 2 regardless of who was still on the board as your chances of getting a starter after those rounds aren't very good. My brain then inferred that you weren't pushing for reaching but kind of were.

 

[Verdict]

Sorry, guess I read "We probably need two instant starters on the line and depth if the line is worst case scenario and one starter and depth at best case scenario" as meaning you wanted an OL in rounds 1or 2 regardless of who was still on the board as your chances of getting a starter after those rounds aren't very good. My brain then inferred that you weren't pushing for reaching but kind of were.

No. I’m a BPA proponent. Almost purely BPA.

I was just talking about holes that we need to fill. But reaching for need is a bad idea.