Machota: Five Cowboys who could break out in 2016

Five Cowboys who could break out in 2016: No. 5, wide receiver Brice Butler

By Jon Machota , Staff Writer

To get you ready for training camp later this month, we're taking a look at five Cowboys players who could be on the verge of a breakout season.
Today we begin with the lone member on offense.

If the Cowboys are able to stay healthy on that side of the ball, there won't be many opportunities for new names to emerge as significant contributors. Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, Ezekiel Elliott, you know the names. They'll be doing a good chunk of the heavy lifting.

But if forced to pick a potential breakout candidate, wide receiver Brice Butler would have to be in the discussion.

The Cowboys traded for Butler after Bryant was injured in the season opener.

The former Oakland Raider showed glimpses of his upside, but a nagging hamstring injury prevented him from reaching his potential in his first year with the Cowboys.

The hamstring injury also significantly limited his practice time with Romo as the two were hardly healthy at the same time.

"One of the challenges with players when they come into your team during the regular season is they don't have a real foundation with you and they're kind of picking things up on the run and they're learning game plans and they're learning your system as you're getting ready to play a game," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. "Brice did a good job for us last year until he got hurt. Clearly he has some ability to make some plays. It's just going to be good to get him back into the offseason program and lay the foundation with our strength and conditioning staff, but also with the system, knowing how we do things starting from ground zero.

"I think he's responded well to that. I think he's getting a better feel for how we want things done, and he's competing well out there."

Butler now has a full offseason under his belt working with the team's franchise quarterback.

With Bryant being limited throughout OTAs and minicamp, Butler received a large amount of first-team reps playing on the outside opposite Terrance Williams.

"If I stay healthy, I feel like I can do a lot of stuff for this team and this offense," Butler said. "It's a big opportunity. This is a great situation for me. I'm definitely glad I'm here. It's going to be a good year."

Five Cowboys who could break out in 2016: No. 4, defensive end Ryan Russell

By Jon Machota , Staff Writer

With so much uncertainty surrounding the Cowboys' pass rush, Rod Marinelli is hoping a few of his defensive ends thrive in larger roles.

One possibility is last year's fifth-round pick, Ryan Russell.

Throughout organized team activities and minicamp, Russell took first-team reps at right and left defensive end.

That's particularly notable considering Russell only played in one game during his rookie season.

"He's always had the movement," Marinelli said. "I just see some maturity in him right now. He's handling it. But this is non-pads, we'll make a decision in camp. I like what he's doing."

The majority of Russell's work on Sundays will likely come on the left side, but the Cowboys see a player with enough athletic ability to also get snaps at right end, the premium pass-rushing position in a 4-3 defensive scheme.

"Ryan has done a really nice job," head coach Jason Garrett said. "He's made a lot of strides over the course of this offseason coming out of his rookie year. He's worked very hard. We do think he has versatility to play on either side and he has ability to rush. Technically, he's gotten better. Emotionally, he's gotten better. I think you see that on the field. I'm excited at where his development is."

Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence are the Cowboys' two most-talented pass rushers. However, since both are suspended the first four games of the season, Dallas will be counting on players like Russell more than ever.

"We have a lot of talent in that [defensive line] room," Russell said. "It's a very deep defensive line that fans or some people may not have been able to see due to injury or whatever have you, but we're very deep talent-wise.

"Marinelli definitely gets the best out of us and helps us develop. I know I feel like a completely different player and just the more reps you get in this system the more conditioning, the more aware you are the better you will become."

Russell suffered an abdominal injury last season that eventually landed him on injured reserve in early December. Now that he's healthy, Russell says he's been using his offseason time to improve his conditioning.

"In a Marinelli defense you've got to be able to run, you have to be able to fly around," Russell said. "He doesn't let up, the standard doesn't change. [I've] mostly just been getting into shape, [so I'm] able to play all the downs all the time."

Five Cowboys who could break out in 2016: No. 3, defensive lineman Jack Crawford

By Jon Machota , Staff Writer

Last month, Rod Marinelli was talking about the eight-man rotation of pass-rushers he prefers when he mentioned a player that he considers an ideal fit for his system.

"Jack Crawford is a perfect guy," the Cowboys defensive coordinator said. "Every time he came in [last season], he impacted the game. He had four sacks as a rotational guy. He had a lot of hits, pressure. He's fresh. He comes in and he's got a great motor. You got an advantage right there. It's the motor and the skill and the attitude we're looking for."

And that's one of the reasons why Crawford is No. 3 on my list of Cowboys who could break out in 2016.

Although Crawford will see a lot of snaps rushing from the inside, not having DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory for the first four games should allow Crawford to get more opportunities to play defensive end.

Five Cowboys who could break out in 2016: No. 2, defensive lineman David Irving

By Jon Machota , Staff Writer

If you've been following this five-day series, you'll notice that a trend is forming. Three of the five Cowboys on my list of potential breakout candidates are defensive linemen.
With so much uncertainty surrounding Dallas' front-four, someone has to emerge, right?

Well, after naming Ryan Russell and Jack Crawford the last two days, next up is No. 2: David Irving.

Four-game suspensions to open the season for Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence have opened the door for a pass rusher like Irving to step up.

"He's a talented guy," defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said in November. "I mean obviously he's got the length and all those things, but I've not really seen guys like that that can bend like that. The bend is unbelievable.

"He's kind of like Big Cat [Leon Lett] in that way. The length, the bend in his body. He's just raw. He's eager and he wants to get better. I really like that body, and the guy plays low and when he's playing he makes plays."

Irving (6-7, 285) played in 12 games last season before fracturing his wrist in Week 16. The former undrafted rookie free agent recorded a half sack, 14 QB pressures and a blocked field goal during his first season.

"There's a lot to like," head coach Jason Garrett said in November. "He's a big, long, quick, explosive athlete, and he's impressive physically. ... One of the things we've really liked about David is he's taking advantage of his opportunity now. He practices hard, I think he's learning the game quickly and when he's gotten chances in games, he's shown up."

Irving, who turns 23 in August, got first-team reps at defensive end during offseason workouts. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones specifically mentioned Irving catching his eye during some of those sessions.

And Irving's ability to play multiple positions should keep him in Marinelli's eight-man rotation even after Gregory and Lawrence return.

Five Cowboys who could break out in 2016: No. 1, safety Byron Jones

By Jon Machota , Staff Writer

In the final post of a five-part series, we focus on the Cowboys player most likely to have a breakout season in 2016: second-year defensive back Byron Jones.

The Cowboys' first-round pick in 2015 spent his rookie season playing nearly every defensive back position on the field. And while he performed well at all of them, Jones was unable to force a turnover.
Expect that to change in his new role. Jones enters his second season focused on playing only safety.

"His range is really good," defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. "He's got good vision back there. I'm real excited to get him in a spot. We moved him around so much last year, so hopefully we get him in a position to use his talent and his vision. He is really smart."

The move allows Jones to play facing the quarterback more often. As he gets comfortable at the one position, being able to see the ball come out of the quarterback's hand more frequently should increase his chances at getting interceptions and forcing fumbles.

"Certainly Byron brings a lot to the table as a defensive back," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "We saw that last year as a rookie. You think about all the different things he did playing corner, playing nickel and dime, playing safety. One of the things that impresses you the most about him is not only his athletic ability but how he can be functional with it on the football field doing different things.

"He's learning every day. He's going about it the right way. He works very hard. He embraces the opportunity and you do see some of that athleticism show up. He's still learning the position and the more and more he goes, the more experience he gets, I think you're going to see more and more of that athleticism both as a pass defender and as a run defender. He closes ground quickly. He gets to the ball quickly. He's got a chance to be a good player."

Last month, Jones said he gained about five pounds for his new full-time safety role. He also said the move has simplified things for him on the back end. Jones played safety his first two years at UConn before making the move to cornerback for his junior and senior seasons.

"I feel good back there," Jones said. "I feel natural, just coming down on runs and guarding tight ends. That's what we do back there, so I'm enjoying it. It's fun. I'm getting comfortable."