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By Jon Machota 1h ago
The second week of free agency is coming to a close, so it’s a good time to update where things stand with the Cowboys. They have roughly $17 million in 2022 salary-cap space, according to OverTheCap.com. That puts them in the middle of the pack among all NFL teams.
Some of the biggest defensive names still remaining in free agency are safety Tyrann Mathieu, LB Bobby Wagner and defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney, Jason Pierre-Paul and Arden Key. While any of those five would make some sense for the Cowboys, it’s not expected that any will be added. We’ve reached the part of the offseason where it appears the remaining notable roster improvements will either come via trade or next month’s draft.
To break down where things currently stand, here’s a look at each position group.
Quarterback: Things are set.
Dak Prescott is working his way back from a cleanup procedure that he had on his left non-throwing shoulder last month. He expects to be a full participant when the offseason program officially starts.
With the Cowboys losing key veterans like WR Amari Cooper, DE Randy Gregory and RT La’el Collins over the last couple of weeks, Prescott was asked on Monday if the roster is as good as it was before free agency started.
“Things happen and things change,” he responded. “I think it will be to that standard here soon. Obviously, things aren’t done. Free agency isn’t done, the draft’s not done, so a lot of the roster is to come.”
Running back: A Day 3 draft pick to add depth is not a bad idea.
No major changes here. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard are expected to do the majority of the heavy lifting as they did in 2021. The improvements to the running game are going to have to come from better health at running back and improvements along the offensive line, most likely in the draft. We’ll discuss that in a second.
Wide receiver: Another impact player is needed.
Cooper was traded to the Cleveland Browns for basically a fifth-round pick. Cedrick Wilson signed a three-year deal with the Miami Dolphins. The Cowboys re-signed No. 5 wide receiver Noah Brown and then signed former Pittsburgh Steelers second-round pick James Washington to a one-year deal. In four years with the Steelers, Washington didn’t meet his expectations. He had a career-high 44 receptions for 735 yards and three touchdowns in 2019. Although his touchdown receptions went up to five in 2020, his other statistics all dropped over the past two seasons.
“I feel like everything that transpired in Pittsburgh, I didn’t really get to show my full self,” Washington said Thursday. “We had a crowded room at receiver. Nothing against anyone else, I just felt like there was a lot of meat left on the bone. I didn’t really get to fully develop myself and make strides like I wanted to. I’m going to take full advantage of this opportunity in Dallas and do what I can so that they get 110 percent of me and I can reach my full potential.”
The Cowboys are in decent shape at wide receiver with CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Washington, Brown and Simi Fehoko, but another impact player is still needed. That could come as early as the first round of the draft. The issue for the Cowboys is that the top five wide receivers in this class (Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave from Ohio State, Drake London from USC, Treylon Burks from Arkansas and Jameson Williams from Alabama) could all be gone by the time Dallas picks at No. 24. That was the case when I went on the clock picking for the Cowboys in a recent first-round mock draft for The Athletic. There will be plenty of quality options outside of the first round, but those five are probably the best bet to make an immediate impact.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had Penn State’s Jahan Dotson as the sixth wide receiver drafted in his most recent mock draft. Interestingly enough, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy was at Penn State’s pro day workout on Thursday.
Tight end: Drafting a player on Day 2 or 3 makes sense.
Dalton Schultz officially signed his franchise tag this week. The Cowboys have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal with him. If not, he’ll be a free agent at the end of the 2022 season. Dallas needs to be looking to add a tight end in this draft. However, it doesn’t appear to be a very deep class. In Brugler’s most recent mock, he didn’t have one being selected in the first two rounds.
“It’s a weird tight end year,” Brugler said last month. “It’s a really deep group. We might have 12-15 tight ends drafted on Day 3. But I didn’t have a tight end in my top 50. We’ll have three or four tight ends drafted on Day 2. The strength of the group is in the fourth round. That’s where you’re going to find your Dalton Schultz-type guys. It’s not a strong year if you’re looking for a tight end in the first round or even, in my opinion, somewhere in the top 50.”
The current depth chart at the position consists of Schultz, Sean McKeon, Jeremy Sprinkle and Ian Bunting.
Offensive line: At least one more starter is needed.
This has become one of the Cowboys’ weakest position groups. Collins is now in Cincinnati and Terence Steele is penciled in as the starting right tackle. Connor Williams is in Miami, but even if he returned, left guard was going to be a major question. Judging by recent mock drafts, including the one I participated in this week, the 24th overall pick lines up nicely for Dallas to improve its offensive line. Zion Johnson of Boston College, Bernhard Raimann of Central Michigan and Kenyon Green of Texas A&M are all quality interior offensive line prospects who also have the ability to kick out to tackle. There’s a good chance that two, if not all three could be there for the Cowboys in the first round. Another possibility is Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum. The first three are a little more intriguing because of their position flex. Linderbaum is likely only a center.
If the Cowboys address left guard there, let’s use Green as an example, they should have a plug-and-play starter who upgrades the position. It also could provide the Cowboys with insurance for starting left tackle Tyron Smith. A starting lineup of Steele, Zack Martin, Tyler Biadasz, Green and Smith doesn’t look bad on paper. Behind them would be guard Connor McGovern, OT Josh Ball, G/C Matt Farniok, a veteran swing tackle they have yet to add in free agency, and another player drafted in the later rounds. With Collins out of the picture, Dallas needs Ball to step up after essentially having a redshirt year last year.
Under Jason Garrett, the Cowboys often looked to address their offensive line needs with first-round talent. McCarthy hasn’t necessarily done things the same way. When McCarthy was in Green Bay, the Packers found great bargains in the later rounds along the offensive line. Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, J.C. Tretter and David Bakhtiari were all fourth-round picks. They’ve combined to make nine Pro Bowls. The Packers also found Corey Linsley, who just made his first Pro Bowl, in the fifth round.
Special teams: Kicker still needs to be addressed.
The Cowboys locked up Pro Bowl punter Bryan Anger with a three-year deal. They also re-signed long snapper Jake McQuaide. But the only kicker on the roster is Chris Naggar, who has attempted only one field goal and two extra points in his NFL career. Dallas has four fifth-round picks in this year’s draft. That seems like a possible spot to address the kicking situation. The Cowboys have to be better on field goals and extra points than they were last year and what’s available in free agency probably isn’t going to get the job done.
Defensive line: Another defensive end is needed.
Left DE DeMarcus Lawrence is back under a new three-year deal. Dante Fowler, who was signed to a one-year deal last weekend, is the front-runner to start at right defensive end. Dorance Armstrong was re-signed to provide depth along with Tarell Basham and Chauncey Golston.
“I’m trying to be better than what I used to be,” Lawrence said Thursday. “I’m trying to learn from my mistakes and also make the guys around me better. The year that I had 14 1/2 sacks or whatever (in 2017), as a team we didn’t amount to shit, so what did that really matter? It’s all about production, but it’s also making sure we’re productive (as a team) and winning games.”
But the Cowboys still have not done enough to replace the loss of Gregory. That will likely come in the draft. If the Cowboys were picking higher, the first round would be a possibility at edge rusher. But the top five DE prospects (Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan, Kayvon Thibodeaux of Oregon, Travon Walker of Georgia, Jermaine Johnson of Florida State and George Karlaftis of Purdue) will likely be long gone by Pick 24.
In The Athletic’s recent mock draft, those five players were all selected within the first 15 picks. While signing a veteran player like Pierre-Paul to a one-year type deal makes plenty of sense, it’s more likely that the Cowboys use their second- or third-round pick to add a young edge rusher to mix into the rotation. Possible targets could include Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie or Ole Miss’ Sam Williams. Quinn was working with both at their pro days this week.
The Cowboys are a little more set at defensive tackle. They re-signed Carlos Watkins this week to go along with Neville Gallimore, Osa Odighizuwa, Trysten Hill and Quinton Bohanna.
Linebacker: Could use a second- or third-day draft pick.
With Leighton Vander Esch and Luke Gifford re-signed, the Cowboys at least have depth to go along with Micah Parsons and Jabril Cox. If there is a game-changer who Dallas falls in love with during the draft process, a higher pick could be warranted, but it’s not as important as offensive line, wide receiver and defensive end.
Defensive back: A fourth safety could still be added.
The cornerback depth is in a good spot with Trevon Diggs, Kelvin Joseph, Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis and Nahshon Wright all under contract.
Safety is in solid shape with the re-signings of Jayron Kearse and Malik Hooker. Those two could end up being Dallas’ Week 1 starters. Add in Donovan Wilson and that’s a good trio. But what about the No. 4 spot? Damontae Kazee is an unrestricted free agent. Dallas could fill that spot with a cheap free agent or turn to last year’s sixth-round pick Israel Mukuamu. Or maybe the Cowboys use a higher pick to make a more significant investment considering Wilson will become a free agent after the season.
There’s no questioning that the current roster is not better than the one the Cowboys ended the season with in January. The draft should provide good opportunities to close a few gaps. Perhaps a trade or two will play a role as well. But whatever the path is, upgrades are still needed if a deep playoff run is going to remain the goal.
