Cowboys news: Dallas’ offseason sets them up to be flexible in the draft

Dallas Cowboys 2023 NFL Draft — Team Needs by Tier - Damon Smith, Inside The Star

Having an already talented roster is a good thing, however it is always good to add depth pieces throughout the draft.

With the dust mostly settled on free agency, I wanted to examine the Dallas Cowboys 2023 Draft needs by tier. I am starting a five-round mock draft series later this week to explore different scenarios and will use these needs as a guide.

With that in mind, let’s dive into the need tiers for the Cowboys in the upcoming draft.

Dire needs

Positions that must be selected in the first few rounds where a starter or rotational backup is required before week one.

NONE!

Prior to the trades for WR Brandin Cooks and CB Stephon Gilmore, and the re-signing of DT Jonathan Hankins, wide receiver, cornerback, and defensive tackle would have fallen in this category.

Primary Needs

Positions where the Cowboys could use an upgrade or more depth to help offset an injury. The pick doesn’t have to be in rounds one or two but probably needs to be addressed before the 5th round.

Pass Catcher

I’m lumping wide receiver and tight end together with a lean toward tight end. One pass-receiving weapon should be added fairly early and though they could pick one of each, it isn’t necessary.

Interior Offensive Line

Despite Jerry Jones mentioning Terence Steele as a potential starting left guard or swing tackle with Tyler Smith and Tyron Smith manning left and right tackle, respectively, I have my doubts.

The plan should be to play the best five offensive linemen.

3 NFC East rival signings that could be problematic for the Cowboys - Randy Gurzi, The Landry Hat

One particular rival has added more talent to give Dallas plenty of fits for the 2023 season.

There’s no denying the Dallas Cowboys got better this offseason. Not only were they able to stay the course on defense with the re-signing of Donovan Wilson, Leighton Vander Esch, and Dante Fowler, but they also added Stephon Gilmore to an already-talented secondary.

Offensively, they also improved despite losing Dalton Schultz. That’s due to the addition of Brandin Cooks, who can help make plays downfield.

With all that being said, the rest of the NFC East was out there making moves too. Here’s a look at three new faces to worry about in the NFC East — and so far, it’s all about the Eagles and Giants since Washington’s offseason work left a lot to be desired.

Cowboys rivals: 3 new problem players in the NFC East

3. Parris Campbell, WR, New York Giants

Last year, the New York Giants made it to the playoffs out of nowhere. With nearly the same roster Joe Judge was working with, Brian Daboll turned things around. And he did this without a lot of weapons on offense.

2. Bobby Okereke, LB, New York Giants

In Dak Prescott’s rookie season, he lost two games to the New York Giants. Since then, they’ve won 10 in a row with him as the starter — although one of those was when he broke his ankle and Andy Dalton led them to a late win, but Prescott still has the stat by his name.

Cowboys Trade of Jalen Tolbert Proposed; Why Give Up Now? - Isaiah Deanda Delgado, SI.com

Time to cut ties with Tolbert, or run it back at least for one more season?

The Dallas Cowboys’ offseason has been littered with new additions, including trade acquisition Brandin Cooks. What does that mean for 2022 NFL Draft pick Jalen Tolbert?

Last year the organization selected Tolbert in the third round, and the receiver turned heads by claiming he’d “change the culture.”

That didn’t happen.

After trading Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, CeeDee Lamb needed a second receiving threat to help lighten his load in the Cowboys’ offense. The projection was that Tolbert would help.

But despite Michael Gallup nursing his way back from an ACL injury, Tolbert didn’t take on the significant role much of CowboysSI.com had anticipated.

Tolbert, who played more baseball than football as a kid, struggled in making the adjustment to the NFL

In his rookie campaign, Tolbert would record a mere two receptions and 12 receiving yards, being a healthy scratch more often than he started, a far cry from the success he demonstrated during his final collegiate season when he had 82 receptions for 1,474 and eight touchdowns.

Data suggest the Cowboys are in for another strong draft haul in 2023 - Dan Rogers, Blogging The Boys

Another year, another quality draft is upon us for America’s Team?

The Dallas Cowboys are having a great offseason. They have retained some important pieces, they’ve added some key players, and they’ve parted ways with a couple of past heroes to save some money. It’s weird to be in such a great place post-free agency, but we should remind ourselves that the good part is still coming. This Cowboys team drafts well. We can quibble over certain selections and obviously, they won’t all be winners, but for the most part, this organization does a great job collecting good players.

Today, we wanted to evaluate the last ten drafts and get a sense of which years were great hauls, and which were not so great. To aid in this evaluation, we’re going to attempt to be objective and rely on Approximate Value assigned each year by Pro Football Focus. Since these players have been in the league for a different amounts of years, we’re going to score them on their average AV value per season. This will give us an apples-to-apples comparison of all the players the Cowboys have selected over the past ten drafts.

It’s also worth noting that 2020 was the first year of Mike McCarthy who wasn’t that involved with the draft process during his time in Green Bay. With Dallas, McCarthy has taken more of a backseat than the previous coaching staff led by Jason Garrett who is from a family of NFL scouts. Less is more when it comes to allowing Will McClay and the Cowboys scouting department to do their job. With less emphasis on scheme fits that match a coach’s preferences and more emphasis on pure talent, the Cowboys have done a nice job in the draft in recent years.

The Cowboys picked late in the order last year and managed to come away with players like Tyler Smith, Sam Williams, Jake Ferguson, and even DaRon Bland (who was selected 167th overall). Why should anything be different this year? While they might not come away with the best draft haul this year, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see them once again out draft their position and bring yet another strong class of rookies to Big D.

Top WR Prospects Cowboys Must Prioritize in 2023 NFL Draft - Alex Ballentine, Bleacher Report

Although the franchise added a quality veteran wide out this off-season, it’s always good to add playmakers to the roster.

The Dallas Cowboys don’t have to draft a wide receiver with their first pick at No. 26, but they need to come away from the draft with one they believe can be an early contributor.

Brandin Cooks should alleviate some of the problems, but he is approaching 30 and coming off one of his least productive seasons to date. These three prospects should be firmly on the radar.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State

Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba falling all the way to No. 26 is a dream scenario for the Cowboys. The 6’1”, 196-pound receiver is the No. 12 ranked prospect on B/R’s big board and the second-ranked receiver.

Rashee Rice, SMU

Unlike Smith-Njigba, there’s no question that Rice can line up anywhere in a formation. He’s 6’1”, 204 pounds but plays even bigger. His ability to go up and high-point the football would be a welcome addition for Dak Prescott.

WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee

There was no more dangerous deep threat in college football this season than Jalin Hyatt. his 4.40 40-yard dash was actually surprisingly slow based on what he put on film this season. According to PFF, he led the nation in deep yards with 677.

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