With the NFL Draft coming up at the end of this month, I wanted to take a look at the NFC East and evaluate how each of the four teams; New York Giants, Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys, should approach their off season before the NFL Draft. Time for the last of the four: the Dallas Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys finished last year with a record of 12-5, going 6-0 in the division. They averaged roughly 385 offensive yards per game this season along with 3 touchdowns a game. Defensively, however, they struggled; allowing over 330 yards per game on average to go with the 2 TDs per game. The saving grace on defense was the number of interceptions. The team totaled 26 interceptions with Trevon Diggs leading the way with 11. Star rookie Micah Parsons, Rookie Defensive Player of the Year, added 3 deflected passes, 3 forced fumbles, and 13 sacks. The biggest issue was the total yardage they allowed.
Free Agency
So far this free agency, the Dallas Cowboys have signed more players than they lost to free agency. The problem is the quality of the players they lost. Losing their one of their best defensive players in Randy Gregory along with two of their best offensive linemen, La’el Collins and Connor Williams, makes it all the more difficult for the Cowboys next season. They’re losing a key player on the defense and two starters that help protect Dak Prescott.
The players they did sign are great depth pieces. Players like Dante Fowler Jr. and re-signing Leighton Vander-Esch are moves that help boost the defense. Fowler adds a solid presence on the edge of the front seven. Vander-Esch is a former first round pick who has yet to live up to hype from his rookie season, but adds pressure up the middle with his 225 solo tackles over the past four years.
On the offensive side, Dallas added James Washington to be their WR3 and franchise tagged Dalton Schultz at TE. Schultz has shown he is a threat at TE over the past two years. In 33 games, he has 141 receptions on 193 targets for 1423 yards and 12 TDs. Last year, he finished as the TE3 overall in fantasy football behind Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce. That’s great company to be in! Washington adds talent at the WR3 position behind CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.
If the Dallas Cowboys were to sign another splashy player, I would expect it to be another offensive lineman. Talented linemen like J.C. Tretter, Bryan Bulaga, and Ereck Flowers are all still available. Any of these three men could slide onto the starting lineup come Week 1. Flowers and Tretter could fill in at guard where Williams played, and Bulaga would start on the right side of the line where Collins played.
I am always a fan of a NFL team signing talented O-Linemen, even if they are older for their position. Protecting your QB and clearing paths for your RBs is important if you want to win football games and make it to the playoffs.
NFL Draft
With only a few weeks till the NFL Draft, time to start projecting who may fall to the Cowboys at 24th overall. In a mock draft by CBS Sports on April 8th, they had Nakobe Dean (Georgia) falling to the Cowboys. Now, if you don’t know who Nakobe Dean is, learn quick. Dean may have been the best linebacker in college football this past year.
According to Chad Reuter of NFL Network, the 5’11”, 230lb. linebacker made his name known in high school where he was a top-15 college recruit. Throughout all of his time at Georgia, he kept earning honors; from Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a Freshman, to All-American and All-SEC honors this past year. Dean is an intelligent player, especially against the run. He’d make the perfect pairing with Parsons.
Another direction the Cowboys could go with pick 24 is an offensive lineman. On both April 7th & 8th, NFL.com mocked the Cowboys taking offensive linemen. These two mocks had Dallas taking Tyler Smith (Tackle, Tulsa) and Zion Johnson (Guard, Boston College). Both of these players address the need for a younger, strong offensive line. Smith stands at 6’5″, 325lbs as a sturdy presence on the outside while Johnson is slightly small at 6’3″, 315lbs on the inside. If, somehow, the Dallas Cowboys got both of these young men with their first two picks, consider it a win for Dallas.
Dallas Cowboys 2022-23 Season
Dallas has few holes that need filled before kickoff next year. Their O-Line is the biggest issue, followed by strengthening the defense at Edge and Linebacker. Last year, this defense was special, but they let up so many yards per game that it hurt them in some ways.
They lost an important piece with Gregory departing for the Mile High in Denver. Not to mention they need to get Trevon Diggs help in the secondary. Diggs is a young, emerging star, but he cannot cover the full field. If Dallas can address all of that, they not only have a shot at winning the NFC East, they could very well make it to the Super Bowl.
Hunter Greene
Hunter started writing for The League Winners in the summer of 2021. Hunter has been playing fantasy football for about a decade, starting in middle school. Now he’s a professional landscaper and avid Colts and Purdue fan.