The answer: Yes, we got better

[Bobhaze]

Key questions for me are:

1. Is this team better than the one we had last year which despite being a division champ and #2 seed was woeful in the playoffs?
2. With the roster losses we’ve had, has this team addressed those losses with improvements?
3. Forget the individual acquisitions…on paper is this team better than last year?

Answers as I see them:

1. Too early to tell for sure but I can’t objectively say I think this team is better. Just looking at it as it stands right now, I would say it is not as good as 2023. We will see in time.
2. No. I‘m hard pressed to say we are better at a given position. If Bebee can play center effectively, maybe we’re better at that position. If Kendricks can stay healthy and perform well along with Overshown developing, maybe we’re better at LB. (We had nowhere else to go but up frankly) I have doubts about KendricKs at 32 being anything beyond average.
3. On paper- No this team is not better. We definitely took a step back at RB, probably LT (although I like Guyton, he won’t be instantly great) Maybe Kneeland helps improve the run stopping. But immediately? Doubt that.

Obviously the off-season is not over but I’m underwhelmed with what we’ve done so far. Maybe we will acquire a decent veteran RB, but there aren‘t any good ones I see right now. As the team stands right now, IMO it has taken a step backward.

 

[Flamma]

The Team hasn't gotten better, they just rearranged the deck chairs. There hasn't been any significant upgrades that improved the team to take that next step, at best, we're just treading water.

This is what they do every year. Just enough to keep the ball rolling. They don't try to take the next step. They draft and cross their fingers.

 

[blueblood70]

I‘m probably being more optimistic than most. I think that this can be a playoff team. Let‘s say they find a RB and the group is successful. Let’s say Mazi makes a huge jump playing at his normal weight in a scheme geared to his strengths. And these rookies get on the field and really contribute. That’s a lot that has to go right.

says most teams...

 

[Malhavoc]

Key questions for me are:

1. Is this team better than the one we had last year which despite being a division champ and #2 seed was woeful in the playoffs?
2. With the roster losses we’ve had, has this team addressed those losses with improvements?
3. Forget the individual acquisitions…on paper is this team better than last year?

Answers as I see them:

1. Too early to tell for sure but I can’t objectively say I think this team is better. Just looking at it as it stands right now, I would say it is not as good as 2023. We will see in time.
2. No. I‘m hard pressed to say we are better at a given position. If Bebee can play center effectively, maybe we’re better at that position. If Kendricks can stay healthy and perform well along with Overshown developing, maybe we’re better at LB. (We had nowhere else to go but up frankly) I have doubts about KendricKs at 32 being anything beyond average.
3. On paper- No this team is not better. We definitely took a step back at RB, probably LT (although I like Guyton, he won’t be instantly great) Maybe Kneeland helps improve the run stopping. But immediately? Doubt that.

Obviously the off-season is not over but I’m underwhelmed with what we’ve done so far. Maybe we will acquire a decent veteran RB, but there aren‘t any good ones I see right now. As the team stands right now, IMO it has taken a step backward.

That‘s the frustrated thing. IMO they needed to make 3 moves in FA. DT, RB, and LB. The way to accomplish this was to bite the bullet and re-sign Dak and Lamb to free up cap space. Because ultimately this team doesn’t have the balls to move on from Dak. He’s going to win in this game of chicken. Instead they lose talent and do nothing, There’s no moving forward.

 

[Creeper]

As I predicted, the hype would begin right after the draft when every player picked will be touted the next all-pro for the Cowboys.

We have no idea what any of these players will look like against NFL competition. Sure, they show promise as college athletes, as does every single player picked by every team in the draft because otherwise they would not be picked or signed by anyone. Let's start with the fact that rookies generally do not make much of an impact their first year. Guyton will be moving to a new position. So will Beebe. We can hope but right now there is more hope than reality. It was just a year ago when we were all pumped about **** Smith and the Cowboys finally taking a DT in the first round. Now we are thinking Mazi made a gigantic leap from an abysmal rookie season to this year even though he had surgery and will not be able to practice for months.

We are hoping Tolbert will finally become an NFL receiver in his 3rd year after 2 years of minimal playing time and productivity. Now we are counting on some day 3 draft picks and UDFAs to make an impact somewhere.

At LB, we drafted a guy 2 or 3 rounds too early when we needed a RB, which by the way we still do not have. They are talking about starting Zeke again. That is an upgrade?

And what about the run defense? A 7th round pick who could have been a UDFA and then 2 other UDFAs are going to fix that problem.

I like what they did in the draft. I think they probably found 2 starters, maybe 3, in this draft. but they are nowhere near done filling all the holes they created prior to the draft.

I refuse to sit here looking at this off-season and convince myself that this offseason was a success because we drafted some guys like every other team in the NFL. I am done buying that BS.

And one last point. We need to stop thinking our goal is to be the best in the NFC East. Our goal should be to be the best in the NFL. I don't care what Washington, Philly and NY do in the draft if I cannot beat Green Bay, Detroit, and SF. Our target is the Super Bowl and we fell behind some of the teams we need to beat to get there because they had better off-seasons that we did.

 

[Flamma]

That‘s the frustrated thing. IMO they needed to make 3 moves in FA. DT, RB, and LB. The way to accomplish this was to bite the bullet and re-sign Dak and Lamb to free up cap space. Because ultimately this team doesn’t have the balls to move on from Dak. He’s going to win in this game of chicken. Instead they lose talent and do nothing, There’s no moving forward.

That's the sticking point. Is it worth pushing that much Dak money forward? If they signed him to a 4 year, 55M a year deal starting in 2025, how do you structure that? Besides the 220M, you have to also include what's owed to the cap this year and the void years. They chose to eat a lot of it now.

 

[boysfanindc]

This is not a lack of interest in free agency they just have always got moving after the draft there are a lot of good free agents left there's gonna be more released they're gonna do more roster building post draft as they always do I mean this is not new I'm not saying it's the right way to do it but this constant complaining for the last two months or I should say since March 14 over a conspiracy that they're tanking the season because of the way they're handling the all season this is how they've always done it.. It's not a surprise there are a lot of guys left in free agency and more will be released they will do most of their activity over the next two to three weeks the roster will look a lot different and by the time September comes then we'll really have a better idea of what the roster will look like game one..

This really is not true, they would always get involved in wave 2 or 3 of free agency before the draft, to plug some holes so they did not need to reach for need.

They did not do that this year.

 

[Malhavoc]

That's the sticking point. Is it worth pushing that much Dak money forward? If they signed him to a 4 year, 55M a year deal starting in 2025, how do you structure that? Besides the 220M, you have to also include what's owed to the cap this year and the void years. They chose to eat a lot of it now.

Structure won’t be an issue and I guarantee they will cave and give him his money. And they’ll pay Lambs as well.Why not just do it when you can reduce the cap figure to allow you to add in FA ? Or just let him go and move on.

 

[Flamma]

Structure won’t be an issue and I guarantee they will cave and give him his money. And they’ll pay Lambs as well.Why not just do it when you can reduce the cap figure to allow you to add in FA ? Or just let him go and move on.

Because structure will be a lot easier if they eat the 55M this year. When you get a chance, peep at Deshaun Watson's contract. Add another 90-100M to it. How do you see that as not being an issue?

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Your not allowed to be positive in here but good write up

Well...only you can prevent forest fires. Post some POSITIVE stuff!

 

[Flamma]

This really is not true, they would always get involved in wave 2 or 3 of free agency before the draft, to plug some holes so they did not need to reach for need.

They did not do that this year.

Yeah, but it was still dumpster diving for washed up players they can get cheap. Remember Poe and Griffen back in 2020? They were awful. That's probably why they do less of that now.

 

[boysfanindc]

Yeah, but it was still dumpster diving for washed up players they can get cheap. Remember Poe and Griffen back in 2020? They were awful. That's probably why they do less of that now.

When you wait to 2nd and 3rd wave is is going to be a mixed bag and they have traditionally been cheap. But filling some holes before they draft cheaply has been what they have done and they have hit on some as far as filling holes.

 

[Flamma]

When you wait to 2nd and 3rd wave is is going to be a mixed bag and they have traditionally been cheap. But filling some holes before they draft cheaply has been what they have done and they have hit on some as far as filling holes.

Wasn't Kendricks one of those players this year? Sometimes it's hard to tell those players apart from the UFAs. Because some of them turn out to be pretty solid too.

 

[jaythecowboy]

I don’t think we are better than last year. The only draft pick I see being better this year than the guy they are replacing is Beebe.

 

[TheCritic]

Key questions for me are:

1. Is this team better than the one we had last year which despite being a division champ and #2 seed was woeful in the playoffs?
2. With the roster losses we’ve had, has this team addressed those losses with improvements?
3. Forget the individual acquisitions…on paper is this team better than last year?

Answers as I see them:

1. Too early to tell for sure but I can’t objectively say I think this team is better. Just looking at it as it stands right now, I would say it is not as good as 2023. We will see in time.
2. No. I‘m hard pressed to say we are better at a given position. If Bebee can play center effectively, maybe we’re better at that position. If Kendricks can stay healthy and perform well along with Overshown developing, maybe we’re better at LB. (We had nowhere else to go but up frankly) I have doubts about KendricKs at 32 being anything beyond average.
3. On paper- No this team is not better. We definitely took a step back at RB, probably LT (although I like Guyton, he won’t be instantly great) Maybe Kneeland helps improve the run stopping. But immediately? Doubt that.

Obviously the off-season is not over but I’m underwhelmed with what we’ve done so far. Maybe we will acquire a decent veteran RB, but there aren‘t any good ones I see right now. As the team stands right now, IMO it has taken a step backward.

I see it as a 2 steps forward, 1 step back kind of offseason. Or maybe even a 2 steps backward, 1 step forward. I'll give you that. But I would rather they deal with getting the salary cap under control and shift to a more sound defensive philosophy with Mike Zimmer than double down with resigning aging players and attempt to keep last year's team intact.

 

[starfan1]

Well...only you can prevent forest fires. Post some POSITIVE stuff!

OP posted positive stuff on the draft

 

[DandyDon52]

I dont know about better, but this was a decent draft, not what I expected.
Seems like someone other than the jones were picking these players.
This was not the typical jones style draft.

Have to wait and see how these players do, and if they are used right away or not.
They can only help this season, if they get played.

 

[MikeT22]

No doubt that the Cowboys were not going to fix all of their problems this draft weekend. Anyone who thought otherwise would have been delusional.

True, that’s why it important to use free agency and trades to try and improve too.

We sit and wait for the draft and then for guys who get cut between the draft and start of the season.

I actually like several of our draft picks and with a couple of exceptions, think we did well with value when we picked.

But that alone isn’t going to move the needle. Not enough playmakers and too many holes and weak spots.

 

[noshame]

Gotta have an elite RB.

Why not?

IMO solid RBs and TEs are often developed as often as drafted high.
I don't have a problem drafting either position late, but not early. If you're OL is giving your QB 4 seconds and controlling the LOS you're average EB and TE look like world beaters.

Conversely if you're RB is getting hit in the backfield it's not going to work.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

OP posted positive stuff on the draft

Maybe people like you need to post more. More positive. Be the change you want to see.

You might inspire and change things.

I think we do have to accept that people do get more upset and need to vent more about negative things. It's human nature. That doesn't mean they have ZERO positivity or enjoyment.

It is also human nature to assume that is all they do , have, want (negative vent). Like rocko and AC want to do. Big mistake.

So...tell me...what are your positives about and hopefuls...now. We did miss out on RB but let is not lament, for now. What are your POSITIVES?