Cowboys cited as franchise that still has a lot of work left to do this offseason

If there is an offseason list about NFL franchises that need to do this, or that, or players that are overpaid or underpaid, or coaches on the hot seat, or anything similar - you can almost guarantee that the Dallas Cowboys will be represented on the list. It’s simple economics. Mention the Cowboys and get eyeballs on your site. You can’t blame people for adhering to that maxim.

So when a headline popped up today that said “NFL teams with the most work left to do” it was almost a given that the Cowboys would be one of those franchises... and they were. So was it deserved?

Let’s dive in. The article in question comes from Bleacher Report.

Wide receiver Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten were the only Dallas Cowboys to catch five or more touchdown passes in 2017. Both are gone, and there are no clear-cut replacements.

That leaves the Cowboys holding open competitions between Tavon Austin, Allen Hurns, Terrance Williams, Michael Gallup, Deonte Thompson and Cole Beasley at wide receiver and Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin, Dalton Schultz and Rico Gathers at tight end. If those battles aren’t fruitful, it could leave them exploring the free-agent or trade markets.

Let’s give them half-credit on this part. The Cowboys tight end position certainly is a question mark. It’s unknown if any player on the roster can truly be an asset at the position. Sure, there is potential there, and one or two of those guys could develop into legitimate options. But for now, there’s no denying it’s a weak spot. The Cowboys could look outside the organization, but they will probably wait to see if anybody can step up.

The wide receiver spot, though, is in pretty good hands. With the additions of Allen Hurns and Michael Gallup, to go along with veterans like Cole Beasley and Terrance Williams, there is enough to work with and it’s doubtful the Cowboys will look to add any significant personnel to that group.

Beyond that, they have to determine what their secondary is going to look like, especially if they officially move Byron Jones from safety to cornerback.

Hate to tell you Bleacher Report, but that ship done sailed. Jones is a cornerback. There is a legitimate point about the safety position. That’s the other weak spot for the Cowboys. The question still hangs out there, will the Cowboys make another run at Earl Thomas once the season gets closer?

And they have less than two weeks to negotiate a long-term deal with franchise player DeMarcus Lawrence, who has to sign a contract by July 16 or spend the season playing under the tag.

As our own Connor Livesay posted, talks may be about to happen on that front. But really, the Cowboys can easily roll into 2018 with Lawrence on the franchise tag (which is likely to happen anyway) and be fine. This isn’t a huge issue in the scheme of things.

So what’s your call BTB? Do the Cowboys have a lot of work still left to do, or are they pretty good for heading into the season?