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- Apr 7, 2013
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By Jon Machota
5h ago
With organized team activities starting this week at The Star, we recently asked for your Cowboys questions. From a potential Ezekiel Elliott return to who will be Dallas’ 2023 kicker, here are the responses.
Why is DeMarcus Lawrence still on the team? He hasn’t been a terrific player for years, at least statistically. Does he make an impact that’s hard to quantify? I know he doesn’t sack the QB nearly as much as he used to. — Andrew G.
I believe he remains the team’s second-best defensive player in the front seven, obviously behind Micah Parsons. Lawrence was one of only seven Cowboys to start every game last season. And he somewhat surprisingly finished with a career-high 65 tackles. Now, he’s no longer getting double-digit sacks, but his six last season were still third-most behind Parsons (13 1/2) and Dorance Armstrong (8 1/2). He tied for the team lead in forced fumbles (3), was third in QB hits (13) and fourth in tackles for loss (9). He does more than the statistics show, but even the statistics were pretty solid last season.
Not to cry over spilt milk but do you have any inside info on whether and where the Cowboys might have had kickers Jake Moody or Chris Dunn on their board? Any thoughts on how the kicker spot will turn out? — Bill McMenimen
I don’t know for certain where they had those kickers graded but it was definitely not in the third round, where Moody ended up going to San Francisco. I didn’t see the Cowboys taking a kicker before Day 3. For some reason, they just don’t seem as concerned about the position as everyone outside of the building. My prediction is that they’ll eventually sign a veteran before training camp. The most likely options being either Robbie Gould, Mason Crosby, Ryan Succop or Brandon McManus. I don’t see a scenario where they bring back Brett Maher. Gould would be my favorite if I was setting a betting line.
https://theathletic.com/4539756/2023/05/22/cowboys-10-most-important-players-season/
Do we really have faith that (RB Tony Pollard) will be able to come all the way back from his injury? Do you agree that they still need to add a running back who can get the tough yards? — Mick B.
From everything I’ve heard, I think Pollard will be fully healthy by the start of the season. They might ease him in during training camp. Running backs aren’t getting hit much there and he wasn’t going to play much in the preseason even if fully healthy. I think he’ll be fine. But I do have concerns about just assuming he can take on a significant increase in carries. His number has gone up each season he’s been in Dallas, from 86 to 101 to 130 to 193. I don’t think it should get north of 220. They need him as close to healthy entering the playoffs as possible. To me, that means finding a back who can take on some of the dirty work that Elliott was used to handling. Maybe that player is on the roster. Maybe that’s someone they add in free agency before the seasons starts.
What is the biggest difference between Mike McCarthy’s and Kellen Moore’s offense? — Cody A.
That’s a great question. It’s the thing I’m most looking forward to monitoring during training camp. From everything I’ve read and been told, it sounds like they will do more to take some things off Dak Prescott’s plate in the passing game. Perhaps fewer reads to go through on certain passing plays, allowing him to get the ball out quicker. But one of Prescott’s greatest strengths is also extending plays, so it’s not like he’s just going to be standing in the gun and quickly throwing short slants or screens on every passing play. It’s difficult to project off of what McCarthy did in Green Bay or what new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer did in his previous jobs because there are just too many different players. And let’s be honest, it’s all about putting Prescott in the best situation to have success. Neither has called plays for him before, so it’s going to take time to know exactly how different this offense will be. Ultimately, they have to find a way to get that interception number down. If they can do that, and Pollard, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup and Brandin Cooks stay healthy, they should be in a good spot to have one of the league’s better offenses.
KaVontae Turpin caught just one pass for the Cowboys last season but made the Pro Bowl as a return man. (Tim Heitman / USA Today)
How do you think the WR depth behind Lamb, Cooks and Gallup will turn out? Who is at risk of losing a roster spot and who is a rookie who might take it? — Chris C.
The most likely group behind those three is Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin and Simi Fehoko. Tolbert and Turpin are both great bets because one was a third-round pick and the other is the team’s primary returner. So that probably leaves one roster spot open. I went with Fehoko because he might be their best option to replace Noah Brown. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Jalen Brooks or any of the undrafted guys from last year or this year push in camp and preseason for that last spot.
One position that I don’t hear nearly enough about being a concern is free safety. I think Hooker is good, but what if he were to go down for multiple games? The depth at that center field spot as single high safety seems pretty limited. What are your thoughts? — Tony C.
I know the coaches and players feel very good about the depth at the position. They view the group as having four starters with Jayron Kearse, Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker and Israel Mukuamu. No. 5 of that group would probably be Markquese Bell. They feel comfortable with that group being versatile enough to fill in where needed.
https://theathletic.com/4530601/2023/05/18/cowboys-contracts-diggs-lamb-parsons-prescott/
Assuming Tyron Smith and Steele are healthy, will they be smart and leave those two at tackle and put out a best 5 of Smith, Smith, Biadasz, Martin, Steele? — Mike S.
I believe so. But that seems like you might be asking for a lot to assume that those two will stay healthy for an extended period of time. That offensive line hasn’t been healthy enough to roll with the same five for very long since McCarthy has been head coach. The best combination is probably Tyron Smith at left tackle, Tyler Smith at left guard, Tyler Biadasz at center, Zack Martin at right guard and Terence Steele at right tackle. But I understand wanting to have three starting-caliber offensive tackles (Smith, Smith, Steele) if someone emerges to become worthy of starting at left guard. They’re going to throw a lot of combinations out there between now and Week 1. I have no issue with letting it play out. But if no one convincingly wins that left guard job, I think it needs to be Tyler Smith to open the season.
What kind of production form Gallup and Pollard would you like to see justify their contracts? How many yards would you like to see from each assuming they play every game? — Zach S.
For Gallup it would be getting back to being a 1,000-yard wide receiver with about six touchdowns — as he was in 2019. If he’s feeling as good as he says he’s been, then the expectation is to get the type of production he had before the knee injury. For Pollard, I’d say around 1,100-1,200 rushing yards, 10 to 12 rushing TDs with about 350 receiving yards and a couple more TD catches. I don’t think that’s out of the question for either player. Pollard’s numbers were pretty similar to that last season.
Michael Gallup had 39 receptions for 424 yards and four TDs last season. (Nathan Ray / USA Today)
What are your thoughts on bringing Zeke back? Is it worth having him back given the following factors: relationship with Dak and team, mentorship to young RBs, any lingering awkwardness about his big contract, etc.? I would imagine if they do it, it’s a fairly small deal, so I’m more curious about the pros/cons of his presence on the team as opposed to what he brings on the field — though I still do think there’s some value there if he’s not taking too many snaps from Pollard. — Tyler D.
I think it would be a little awkward, but if the price was right, I would be on board. He was a leader behind the scenes. While he was no longer producing like a top back, he was still getting it done in short-yardage situations, which hasn’t exactly been replaced since he was released. If both sides were in agreement, it would make sense. With all of that being said, I think it’s highly unlikely.
The 2021 draft class had 7 players selected in the first 4 rounds. Right now it looks like 5 of them (Joseph, Golston, Wright, Cox, and Ball) are either nothing more than depth pieces or in danger of not making it on the 53 after training camp. What are the thoughts inside the building on those players and is there any hope for a Dorance Armstrong-type leap from any of them in 2023? — Chris P.
Yeah, that’s not great. This is a big year for all of them. They need at least one of those five to emerge into a bigger role in their third season. Kelvin Joseph is the most obvious because they used a second-round pick on him. If he can’t be a solid contributor defensively it might be time to go in another direction. Jabril Cox and Josh Ball are two others I have my eye on. If Cox is all the way back from his knee injury, he should be able to make more of an impact than last year. Ball needs to emerge as a player they can count on as either a swing tackle or competition at left guard. If neither happens this year, it’s hard to believe it will all of a sudden click in Year 4.
