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Last week the fine folks over at NFL.com put together projected starting lineups for all 32 teams.
We’ve already gotten into the practice of predicting 53-man rosters here at BTB, so why not go all the way and talk about potential starting lineups? Here’s who they’ve penciled in for the Cowboys:
OFFENSE
QB: Dak Prescott
RB: Ezekiel Elliott
WR: Allen Hurns
WR: Terrance Williams
WR: Cole Beasley
TE: Geoff Swaim
LT: Tyron Smith
LG: Connor Williams
C: Travis Frederick
RG: Zack Martin
RT: La’el Collins
DEFENSE
DE: DeMarcus Lawrence
DT: David Irving
DT: Maliek Collins
DE: Tyrone Crawford
OLB: Sean Lee
MLB: Leighton Vander Esch
CB: Chidobe Awuzie
CB: Byron Jones
CB: Jourdan Lewis
S: Jeff Heath
S: Xavier Woods
First things first, plenty of folks are ready to slide third-round rookie Michael Gallup in for Terrance Williams. That would give Dallas three rookie starters, and by season’s end that may ultimately be what they’ve got going on.
The rest of the offense looks reasonable, but tight end is such a question mark. Geoff Swaim is the most veteran of the group, Rico Gathers is the most hyped up of the group, but when someone like Bryan Broaddus says things like this about Dalton Schultz... well that changes perceptions.
I believe that will be Dalton Schultz. https://t.co/Ejml7i0pcR
— Bryan Broaddus (@BryanBroaddus) May 15, 2018
It’s honestly fairly likely that this is indeed the starting defense for the Cowboys when they visit the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. Sure, Maliek Collins is dealing with a foot injury, but he’s expected back in August.
Chido and Byron Jones will likely be the outside corners with Jourdan Lewis working in the slot, but that feels safe. The biggest point of concern could be further back in the secondary at safety where Xavier Woods is projected to start.
2016 is seen as such a revolutionary year for the franchise because of the drafting of Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott. Using that as a benchmark, nine of the 22 projected starters have joined the team since then. These aren’t your older brother’s Dallas Cowboys.
What do we think, BTB? What did they get right and wrong? Let’s discuss.