- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 120,749
By Bob Sturm 3h ago
A few years ago, we started adding this to our annual training camp checklist, and it is that time again.
On each NFL roster there are battles for jobs, but we all understand that getting an NFL job is the ultimate hurdle for every player to clear.
But, let’s move beyond that most basic goal, assume the following players will easily make the team, and focus on the road between here and January. That allows us to get down to the annual look at who really needs to have a big year for Dallas for their own agenda — which can enhance their status with the Cowboys or their next franchise.
These players find themselves at a crossroads in their careers. I know when you have a full roster, you can talk yourselves into many storylines for most players, as to how this is their “prove-it” season and a massive chance to either raise their career trajectory or move closer to finding a different line of work.
Last year, we nominated five players for the 2020 version. Let’s briefly recap each on that list before we move on to our fresh five:
Chidobe Awuzie, corner: The former second-round pick battled some injuries during the 2020 season and probably had his worst year in the NFL. The Cowboys quickly turned their attention elsewhere and began to realize he wasn’t the guy they thought he would be (I fell for it, too). The Bengals signed him to a three-year, $21.75 million deal that guarantees the first year for about $7.5 million and then they will also have a decision to make.
Blake Jarwin, tight end: This was a surprise entry on last year’s list and when he suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 1, it certainly rolled over into this year. Basically, the Cowboys will have this season to decide who is their primary tight end. If Jarwin does not clearly have that breakout season they have waited on for three seasons, they might start to look elsewhere. Dalton Schultz was able to produce much more in 2020 than any season Jarwin has had to date.
Jourdan Lewis, slot corner: For the fifth consecutive year, Lewis, who was drafted in the third round in 2017, is trying to unseat Anthony Brown. Yet, because they have both proven to be valuable members of the secondary at non-prohibitive prices, the Cowboys keep kicking the can down the road a bit. Lewis played a lot in 2020 and made a fair number of splash plays but also allowed a fair number of receptions and penalties. He is limited, but also signed a team-friendly three-year, $13.5 million deal that allows Dallas to decide between Brown and Lewis or keep them both — or neither if Maurice Canady can show out.
Connor Williams, left guard: I suppose the 2018 second-round pick is used to being on this list every year, but Williams badly needed a productive 2020 season. He stayed healthy, played well and put himself in a good position to probably earn a spot on this list again in 2021. His first few years have not been good, but finally in 2020, he did enough to show that he can be a starter in this league. That doesn’t mean he has “made it”, but it does mean he is improving and has shown — with almost no help around him due to all the injuries — that he can hold his own.
Xavier Woods, safety: The sixth-round pick from 2017 and hero of #CowboysTwitter finally had the window close on his run last season after several very poor moments during those “what are they doing” defensive games between Weeks 2 and 7 that got others cut and fired. Woods never developed any further, and when Donovan Wilson stepped on the field and instantly started making impact plays, Woods’ work here was done. He signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with Minnesota, which is perhaps a good place to revive a safety career.
That is last year’s list, though. Let’s get to this season. These are the five (in no particular order) whom I have nominated as the players with the most at stake in 2021. As you will quickly see, this seems like a much more “high-stakes table” than last year:
1. Ezekiel Elliott, running back
Let’s be honest, he isn’t getting cut this spring because his contract was written by his agent so that it would either be done painfully last spring or in 2022. But, you can tell that he can feel the wear and tear and he surely sees that Todd Gurley and Le’Veon Bell, who were his rivals a few years back, are having a hard time finding a roster spot. Elliott has lost weight and seems rejuvenated, but I am not certain the coaching staff and front office know what to think about his ability to be explosive and to be a clear offensive weapon. He must start by demonstrating he is clearly a better option than Tony Pollard. But, make no mistake, another year like last season — which the odds were definitely stacked against him with everyone else hurt — would make his post-2022 exit nearly a certainty. A few weeks after his 26th birthday, he can still change that narrative with a big season.
2. Michael Gallup, wide receiver
We have written plenty about this situation so there is no massive reason to belabor it, but Gallup has a range of outcomes that can go from him playing for a massive contract in excess of the contract Kenny Golladay signed with the Giants (four years for $72 million) to a more reasonably priced version like the ones Robby Anderson signed in Carolina (two years for $20 million) or Nelson Agholor in New England (two years, $22 million). Gallup’s quality is very high but that still might make him the third-best wide receiver in Dallas, so he might need to go elsewhere to reach his maximum earning potential. However, with a good enough year, the Cowboys might look for an Amari Cooper exit strategy and slide that money over to Gallup this spring.
3. Randy Gregory, edge rusher
This one is really interesting, but you also know the author here just can’t let the ceiling of Gregory get away. For the past several seasons, this team has had one-year plugs at edge rusher, and I don’t think it has been very good. Yes, Robert Quinn and Aldon Smith had their moments, but it isn’t a sustainable model to shop every season for this valuable piece. Gregory really demonstrated his quality in his limited work last season and could make a lot of money for himself this season. Of course, he could also turn into a “veteran minimum” type in a league full of them if he cannot play at his top level every week.
Jaylon Smith, left, and Leighton Vander Esch (Michael Owen Baker / Associated Press)
4. Jaylon Smith/Leighton Vander Esch, linebacker
I am going to cheat on these last few. First, many of us were guilty of saying something hyperbolic going into 2019 like, “the Cowboys are set at linebacker for the next decade with these two”. Then in 2021, they seemed to draft both of their replacements after the team’s two-year run of disastrous defense that started with the playoff game in Los Angeles in January of 2019 and still hasn’t stopped. There is no way to blame it all on these two young star linebackers, who were both voted into the NFL Top 100 that year, but there is also no way to suggest they have been a solution to the other shortfalls. Rough scene. They both could be elsewhere as early as next spring.
5. Blake Jarwin/Dalton Schultz, tight end
Again, you can go from a “cheap and effective duo” to feeling like they should throw resources at this void in the next draft very quickly. For now, they can enjoy one last year of the cheap duo part, but you can bet in an 11-personnel-heavy offense, they will be competing very hard with each other, knowing they might be fighting over the same piece of meat. Schultz is a free agent and Jarwin is not, but his deal is pretty much out of guarantees. They are both young enough, but the ramp-ups must yield fruit in 2021 for either to be assured the spot they desire in 2022.
As you can see, the conveyor belt of talent continues to turn, and in a league where guaranteed contracts are rare, everyone on this list is realizing their places are not secured beyond this season if they don’t stake their claims post haste.
