Cowboys news: Do Cowboys have the leg up to repeat in the NFC East?

Where Is Cowboys Biggest Advantage Over Their NFC East Foes? - Kevin Brady- Inside The Star
What's the biggest advantage the Cowboys have on their side in the 2019 NFC East race?

If the Cowboys are going to repeat as NFC East champs for the first time in well over a decade, they will need to maximize their advantages over their division foes. And while their defense is immensely talented, their offensive line is as good as unit as you may find in this league, and their offense is now filled with formidable skill players like Amari Cooper and Ezekiel Elliott, the team’s biggest advantage may come from the quarterback position.

When you look around the NFC East you now see an aging veteran who’s best years are far behind him, two brand new unproven rookies, and a former MVP candidate who has struggled with injuries each of his first three NFL seasons. Of course I’m talking about Eli Manning, Daniel Jones, Dwayne Haskins, and Carson Wentz. The only one of this bunch who even has an argument to be put over Dak Prescott right now is Wentz, and even that can be debated by the Pro-Prescott side.

Will Cowboys be first NFC East team to repeat in 15 years? Kristi Scales sure thinks so | SportsDay
Kristi Scales, the sideline reporter for the Dallas Cowboys has made her prediction that the Cowboys will finally break a 15-year-run of no repeats in the NFC East.

Give us your prediction of how the NFC East will shake out this season, with records for each teams.

Scales: The Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles both finish 10-6, but Cowboys get the nod on tie-breakers and win the division. The Cowboys play a more difficult first-place schedule in 2019, that’s why I have them with only 10 wins. As for the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, who cares? But let’s go with 5-11 for the Giants and 4-12 for the Redskins who will have growing pains with a rookie QB (Dwayne Haskins).

How comfortable are Cowboys with their backup QB behind Dak Prescott?- DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys know what to expect from their starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, but how solid is the depth behind him?

David Helman: I’d be lying if I said I felt super comfortable about the backup situation – but I’m not sure what the Cowboys can do about it right now. The list of available free agents is not inspiring. Obviously, some quarterbacks will become available between now and September, but will any of them be true upgrades over what’s already on the roster? Cooper Rush is entering his third year, and the front office just drafted Mike White a year ago. We still don’t know for sure how good either guy is. My goal would be to give them as many reps as humanly possible in the coming weeks. Hopefully one of them stands out. If not, my plan is to cross my fingers that Dak Prescott can continue his trend of good health this year. When we get to 2020, you can sign or draft a better replacement.

Do Cowboys have any position needs left unfilled on the roster? Bryan Broaddus & Rob Phillips- DallasCowboys.com
What position would you want to add depth to at cut-downs if they could flip players with a team instead of trading for a pick?

Rob: You know the roster’s in good shape when backup quarterback seems to be the popular pick for biggest need. No doubt there are talented players on this team who won’t make the 53 because of a numbers crunch. But I always say this, and unfortunately it’s a fact of the NFL: Just when you think you’ve got depth, injuries happen. We’ve got to see how things play out through most, if not all of preseason.

Happy 4th: 4 reasons to be excited for the upcoming Dallas Cowboys season -Cole Patterson- Blogging The Boys
In honor of the 4th, here are four great reasons to get excited about the Cowboys upcoming season.

Kellen Moore, Offensive Coordinator

On the topic of Dak, you have to mention Kellen Moore. The former backup-quarterback-turned-offensive-coordinator has taken over the reigns of the offense, which has many wondering how the offense will change. While the base of the offense will remain the same, there is reason to expect (hope?) for some new wrinkles to be added.

Moore was a prolific quarterback during his time with Boise State, when the Broncos were known to use a trick play or two under Chris Peterson. Moore is also described as an intelligent football mind, so that kind of background cannot hurt.

Many have been begging for Dallas to use Prescott more often in the run game — after all, he is a tank and was a prolific runner in the SEC — and it appears that Moore is on the same page.

Can the Cowboys afford to pay their stars? Yes, and here’s how – Calvin Watkins-The Athletic
Don't concern yourselves with how the Cowboys are going to pay their stars, just know it's possible and likely to happen.

In that case, Elliott’s 2020 cap numbers might surpass Gurley’s $17.2 million or Le’Veon Bell’s $15.5 million with the Jets. Given Gurley’s health concerns and Bell’s possible short-time status with the Jets, Elliott might wind up as the highest-paid running back in the NFL.

It’s quite possible this could happen, and it shouldn’t affect the Cowboys’ bottom line too much in 2020 or 2021, the heavy years when Prescott and Elliott will command their biggest salaries. The cap numbers for their highly-priced offensive linemen, while large, are not restrictive enough to put the Cowboys in a significant bind. Tyron Smith’s cap numbers fluctuate in 2020 to $11.9 million, $12.2 million in 2021 and $13.5 million in 2022. Travis Frederick’s, meanwhile, will sit at $11.1 million in 2021 and dip to $10.1 million the next year.

Is Jalen Jelks The Next Late-Round Steal? - Rob Phillips- DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys have found draft steals on defense in recent drafts. Could seventh-round pick Jalen Jelks be next in line?

Bryan Broaddus’ Take: I am calling it a long shot if Jalen Jelks makes the final roster. The depth at defensive end will be hard for him to overcome and the likely outcome will have him landing on the practice squad. What Jelks has traits wise with his quickness, he lacks strength and that’s going to show up in training camp. To his credit, he’s done a nice job of adding that strength here before the club leaves for Oxnard, but he will need to fill out more. What will be interesting to me is if in these preseason games that we see him play some nickel defensive tackle which is what he did at Oregon with some success. The fact that he can play a couple of different spots will help him along the way.

Robert Quinn Could Solidfy the Cowboys Pass Rush- Matthew Lenix- Inside The Star
Let's talk about the guy that will help DeMarcus Lawrence take the Cowboys pass rush to next level.

Robert Quinn was acquired via trade in March from the Miami Dolphins. Before his one year on South Beach, he spent seven years with the Rams, where he made his name known. By his second year in the league, he started to show flashes of being a big-time defensive end, with 10.5 sacks. This would start a string of three consecutive seasons of double-digit sacks, highlighted by his 19 in 2013 which earned him his only All-Pro selection.

He hasn’t reached ten or more sacks since 2014, with injuries playing a huge role in him falling short of that mark. He would log only fifteen starts from 2015 to 2016. However, he has played in 31 of a possible 32 games the last two seasons. It should also be noted that he’s played in at least fifteen games in every season except two. Despite a few setbacks he’s been pretty durable which is huge considering he plays such a physical position.

Should Cowboys consider trading their former first-round pick Taco Charlton-John Owning- SportsDay
Taco Charlton isn’t flourishing quite like the Cowboys had hoped when drafting him in the first round a few seasons ago, is it the perfect time to think about trading him?

Normally, it would be crazy to think that a team could trade a former first-round pick who is entering just his third year. However, the Cowboys have so much depth at defensive end -- especially if Randy Gregory gets reinstated before the season -- that they could conceivably trade Taco Charlton before the season begins.

Even though he’s yet to play at a level commensurate with a first-round pick, Charlton has been most hurt by perception. In comparison, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, who was the fan favorite for Dallas’ first-round pick in 2017 and selected just two picks after Charlton, has put together two extremely productive seasons. In the two years since they were drafted, Watt has played in 31 games, totaling 122 tackles and 20 sacks, while Charlton has played in 27 games, totaling just 46 tackles and four sacks.