clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Do you agree with NFL.com’s projected starting lineup for the Cowboys?

Let’s talk starters for the Cowboys in the 2018 season.

NFL: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

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.

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.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Blogging The Boys Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your Dallas Cowboys news from Blogging The Boys