Ranking the 7 Teams Best Set Up for the Future Entering 2020 Season - Gary Davenport, Bleacher Report
Are the Cowboys about to start a dynasty run?
It’s been a long time since the Dallas Cowboys were a real force in the NFL. They haven’t won the Super Bowl since 1995 and have only one postseason victory in the last five years.
This offseason, the Cowboys brought in a Super Bowl-winning head coach in Mike McCarthy to restore the glory to the Star. He’s inheriting a cupboard replete with talent on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Dak Prescott’s long-term contract status remains a question mark, but the 26-year-old threw for the second-most yards in the league (4,902) last year. His skill-position talent is as good as anyone’s, too.
In four seasons, running back Ezekiel Elliott has topped 1,300 rushing yards three times and led the league in rushing twice. The wide receiver trio of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and rookie CeeDee Lamb might be the best in the NFL, and all three are under contract for at least two more years. Dallas’ offensive line ranked second in both run blocking and pass protection in 2019, per Football Outsiders.
The ten most important players on the Dallas Cowboys roster - Dan Rogers, Blogging the Boys
Who is the Cowboys most important player?
Safe bets
1. DAK PRESCOTT
This one is really not that hard. The quarterback position is hands-down the most important position on the team, and when you have a player of Prescott’s ability, that propels him to the top. Coming off a season where he threw for over 4,900 yards and 30 touchdowns, Prescott’s already demonstrated he can make plays, and the good news is - he hasn’t reached his full potential yet. Regardless of where you stack Dak in terms of quarterback rankings, he’s good enough to be deserving of the team’s most important player.
2. DEMARCUS LAWRENCE
Tank doesn’t get the love he deserves, and after recording only five sacks last season some people may be second-guessing that five-year, $105 million deal the team gave him last offseason. Don’t let the low sack figure fool you though as this guy is all over the place. Similar to Prescott, he plays one of the most important positions on the team, and when you combine that with this All-Pro talent, he belongs near the top.
Film room: 3 Cowboys who face sink-or-swim seasons in 2020, including position-switch candidate Chidobe Awuzie - John Owning, Dallas Morning News
It’s do or die season for these three Cowboys.
Dorance Armstrong, DE
If Jason Garrett and his staff were still in place, Dorance Armstrong’s spot on the roster would probably be secure. The Cowboys’ defensive end depth chart will be much more crowded with McCarthy running the show. Not only did Dallas draft Utah’s Bradlee Anae in the fifth round and give James Madison’s Ron’Dell Carter guaranteed money undrafted free agency, but the team also signed Aldon Smith and could see Randy Gregory return.
If we take McCarthy at his word that the Cowboys will keep “six rushers,” then it’s easy to see that Armstrong will be in quite the battle to make the roster.
DeMarcus Lawrence, Tyrone Crawford and Aldon Smith’s spots on the 53-man roster are essentially secured. If Gregory is reinstated, he’s just too talented to leave off the roster. So if that happens, Armstrong will have to compete against Anae, Carter, Joe Jackson and Jalen Jelks for one of the final two edge defender spots.
Armstrong and Anae should be the favorites to win those two spots, but Armstrong will still have a lot to prove even if he makes the roster. He needs to show more signs of development during regular-season play to warrant continued investment from the Cowboys.
Zack Martin and Tyler Biadasz Already Share a Common Bond - Brian Martin, Inside the Star
Could this rookie iOL share some common ground with All-Pro Zack Martin?
Zack Martin and Tyler Biadasz may not have even met in person yet, let alone play a single snap together, but they already share something unique that could help them form a strong bond with one another. Surprisingly enough, they will both celebrate their birthdays on November 20.
I know it might seem like a small thing, but I think sharing your birthday with somebody is kind of special. I may be alone on this, but I find it intriguing to learn who shares the same birthday as I do. Whether it’s celebrities, professional athletes, or just an everyday person like myself I find it interesting we share at least one thing in common.
Maybe I find this more interesting than a lot of you will since my birthday is also November 20, but I really think this could be a special thing between Zack Martin and Tyler Biadasz. If/when they find this out about one another, I think this could help create a bond/friendship both on and off the field. I may be grasping at straws here, but I definitely think it’s possible.
With Travis Frederick now retired, Zack Martin will now have to create bond with whoever the Dallas Cowboys decide is their new starting center. That won’t be easy, because Martin and Frederick shared a unique bond of their own. Not only were they friends on and off the field, but they also had a pregame warm-up they went through before every single game.
Dallas Cowboys Encouraged to Sign 3x Pro Bowl Tight End - Zack Kelberman, Heavy.com
Delani Walker, anyone?
The Dallas Cowboys have the opportunity to replace 38-year-old Jason Witten with 35-year-old Delanie Walker.
NFLAnalysis.net listed the Cowboys among four “ideal landing spots” for the former longtime Tennessee Titans tight end.
There is a lot to like about the Dallas Cowboys’ offense between the stacked wide receivers room, Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield, and Dak Prescott under center. There is still room to add a veteran contributor like Delanie Walker to the tight end rotation.
Following Jason Witten’s departure to the Las Vegas Raiders, Blake Jarwin will look to show the Cowboys what he’s capable of achieving as the top tight end. The rest of this position group features unproven options that will be looking to earn a spot.
Having Walker in the mix would at least add more of a veteran element to the position battle. Playing in a reduced capacity behind Jarwin perhaps could help him to stay healthy while providing the Cowboys with more depth at the position.
Spagnola: Once Again Change Is In The Air - Mickey Spagnola, DallasCowboys.com
New coaches, new weapons, new season.
FROM HOME, Texas – Crazy, crazy times.
Swirling demonstrations. Seems these have been going on during my lifetime for the past 60 years, screaming for change.
The coronavirus. A first, yet now going on nearly four full months, with seemingly no end in sight, though many circles acting as if there really is, the sporting world still being affected on a daily basis. Hospitals and lives, too.
Oh sure, golf has returned, right down I-30 in Fort Worth. NASCAR, too. The NHL planning its return. The NBA, too. Baseball, who knows, unless you are into the early-morning edition from South Korea. But the stadiums are empty, safety first.
The NFL?
Inching back. But maybe more like centimeter-ing. Yep, the team facilities are open for limited business if located in allowable states. Coaches finally back in place. But no players … yet.
And since the NFL has only extended the virtual offseason programs to June 26, sure appears as if no players until the late July start to training camps, all to be held at team facilities.
Mentioned last week how 2020 is beginning to look a lot like 2011, the offseason of NFL labor unrest. That lockout, team facility doors closed to the players, whose union had decertified during the protracted CBA negotiations between NFL owners and the NFL Players Association to counter the lockout. No offseason workouts. No OTAs. No minicamps. All sounding quite familiar.
BTB Podcast
What could the NFC East look like in 2020? We discuss on the latest episode of Girls Talkin ‘Boys.
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