Needs:
1. Backup OG, future starter. The only thing they have on the roster at backup OG is a guy that has not played since 2010.
2. Weak Side DE. They don't really have anybody that fits that mold unless Martez Wilson suddenly shows up. Most of their DEs are best at SDE like Crawford, Selvie and Mincey.
3. 3rd DT. I think McClain will be a decent 1-tech and Melton should be good at the 3 but Hayden is probably the 3rd DT which is not a good sign.
4. 4th DT. Even if they find a 3rd DT, that’s going to be either a 1 or a 3 leaving the other side in need.
5. Safety. This could be moved up in the list but I’m going to put it here. I’m convinced that Wilcox has the talent but I don’t know if he will be completely ready in 2014. He only played defense for 1 year in college. Wilcox was terrific in 1-on-1 drills against WRs at the Senior Bowl and better than seveal CBs. Church is good enough. The Cowboys seem convinced that Matt Johnson can play in the NFL if he could stay healthy. Heath as really good size and athleticism. It was unfortunate that he was put in a really bad position in 2013. He’s a good end of the roster type player to have, IMO. I think he could actually be a decent NFL player if you put him on a quality defensive team when he’s in about his 3rd year. The fact that he was in the farthest from that situation in 2013 was unfortunate. Even Jakar Hamilton has some upside.
After the top 5, I’m not really certain:
LB: Looks good to me if they can keep Lee healthy. I recently reviewed Holloman in the final game at MLB and he was very impressive, especially considering that as a college Safety/OLB that he had never played or practiced at MLB until late in the 2013 season. At worse case, I see Carter moving to SLB which and being off the field in the nickel. Durant was better than the credit he received. He was looked good filling in for Lee at MLB before being injured. Wilber is an interesting player at SLB and has almost identical size and measureables to Seattle’s SLB. They liked Lawrence enough to keep him over a guy that they had ranked as a mid round draft pick (McGee). They signed 3 young practice squad type to futures contracts; although, I think one of them would be a candidate to move to DE.
WR: I might be a bigger fan of T. Williams than some, but I think he was a solid #2 as a rookie and will only get better. Beasley was really good in his role as the slot WR. Harris is a solid 4th or 5th WR. They need a developmental big WR for the outside where they don’t really have a true backup.
TE: They don’t really have a blocking TE and oddly had Hanna doing most of the blocking TE duties in 2013. Escobar is very similar to Witten, IMO. Hanna is very fast but they never really gave him a chance to run routes that would take advantage of his speed.
FB: Clutts seemed OK. I would be a bonus to get a guy like Millard that has some TE like abilty but is also a good blocking FB.
RB: Health is the big issue. Murray is very good when healthy, but they need to plan for the possibility that the might be more expensive than they want to pay for an oft injured player. Dunbar is a boom/bust type. He looked spectacular in a few plays, but had a couple of fumbles and then got injured. Randel is an unknown at this point. Some fans already don’t like him, but we really didn’t see enough to make a determination either way.
QB: If Romo is healthy the next couple of years, then they need to try to win with him. If Romo is not healthy, then they might as well just tank a season and get a top 10 pick where the majority of NFL QBs are drafted.
OT: Most people would move this up the list, but I’m a big fan of Parnell. I believe that he would be better than Free after just a few starts but they have to be willing to live with a few mistakes in those first few games. I believe that he compares favorablty physically to many of the OTs in the draft. Weems appears to have good physical upside but looked a little lost at the beginning of the 2013 preseason. Reports are that he progressed in practice during the season. He is big, quick and strong. They liked Weems enough to carry him on the roster all season.
CB: I think the top 3 will be fine in 2014 but they need competition for the 4th and 5th spots. They really need to add a developmental guy with size because Webb is 5-10 and Moore is 5-9. You’re not going to find a CB with size unless you pay a premium or develop one.
When they have to lay it out, it looks dang weak. We all know it was just Lee; is the only injury that changed the dynamic...maybe this year we go injury free and SB this junt.
