Cowboys news: Running back one of the key positions to watch
Cowboys news: Running back one of the key positions to watch
2024 NFL season: Ten biggest remaining roster holes - Kevin Patra, NFL.com
Will the Cowboys be able to establish a true lead back this season?
Ahead of July training camps, clubs can fill gaps with veterans — some of whom probably preferred to sit out the spring portion of the offseason. Talent still meanders on the open market, with cornerback Stephon Gilmore, safety Justin Simmons and others available. Some players overcoming injuries, like interior O-lineman Connor Williams, will eventually find a home.
As the players head into summer break, it’s a perfect time to spotlight the 10 biggest remaining roster holes scattered across the league.
Rank 10
Dallas Cowboys
Running back
Let’s start our countdown with one to argue about. This feels like a true test of the theory that running backs are interchangeable. After years of disparaging Dallas for paying the going rate for RBs in a dwindling market, can we scoff at the Cowboys for going cheap at the position, given the other rising costs on the roster? The glaring issue is that there isn’t a low-cost rookie option to lean on. Ezekiel Elliott played fine last season in New England but averaged a career-low 3.5 yards per attempt. He no longer owns the every-down juice. Entering his ninth NFL campaign, Zeke’s best attribute at this stage is his pass protection, which is great because the Cowboys figure to pass a lot. Rico Dowdle is a fine complement, but can he sustain with a larger load? Deuce Vaughn got little run as a rookie last year, and the Cowboys are cross-training him at slot receiver. Running a committee is an acceptable plan, but adding another quality body or two, perhaps after roster cuts, feels needed.
Determining which other safety should start for the Cowboys alongside Malik Hooker - Dan Rogers, Blogging The Boys
Seeing how Mike Zimmer plans to use the Cowboys deep group of safeties is one of the top stories for 2024 training camp.
The biggest difference in safety play will be the versatility needed. It won’t consist of just your conventional free safety and strong safety. Zimmer is a deceptive coach and loves to keep opposing teams guessing, so using his safeties interchangeably is very important. This means the Cowboys starting safeties will need a good range of skills to do what is required.
One of those safeties will be Malik Hooker. He’s the team’s best coverage safety and is effective enough near the line of scrimmage to handle his part. It’s crazy that this one-time low-cost free agent signing has become the team’s most consistent safety over the last few years. What a great move that was.
The trickier part is, who will be the other guy? They have a few good options, all possessing different traits, but which one provides Zimmer with the versatility he needs? Let’s run through the candidates and figure this thing out.
DONOVAN WILSON
The veteran Wilson seems like the most likely candidate. There are a lot of good things to like about him. He’s a tough player who loves to pop guys. While he’s not a sticky tackler, those long arms expand his tackling zone and make it difficult for ball carriers to escape. Wilson is a savvy player with good play recognition. Attacking downhill, he’s one of the splashiest playmakers on this defense.
JUANYEH THOMAS
If you’re looking for a good free safety/strong safety combo, Thomas might be as close as they got. The third-year undrafted free agent has an assortment of skills. Coverage-wise, he has good twitch and reacts quickly. Thomas is an aggressive player and isn’t afraid to get dirty. He doesn’t have the length that Wilson and Bell have, but he has a good frame and his determination and active hands make him a pass-break-up opportunist. And even though he doesn’t have the same take-on strength as these other two guys, he’s an effective tackler. He’ll square up and take guys down.
Cowboys may have a sleeper on both sides of the ball in 2024 - Shane Taylor, Inside The Star
The Cowboys quietly have some depth pieces further down the depth chart that could really help them on both sides of the ball.
Damone Clark
Damone Clark is the first player.
The former fifth-round pick appeared in 17 games in 2023 but showed a bit of a “sophomore slump” with a near four-point drop off in his PFF grade from his rookie season.
The Cowboy’s only free agent move was signing Veteran Eric Kendricks to run the defense at middle linebacker this season. But this is why I think Clark is a sleeper on that side of the ball.
He will feed off Kendricks.
With all the shifting they had at linebacker last season, Clark was just thrown into the role. Leighton Vander Esch got hurt, and Overshown ended up on IR before the season even began.
Let’s not give up on Clark yet. Even with the drafting of Marist Liufau. Clark will not have nearly the pressure on him as he did a season ago, he is still young, only entering his third season. He could find himself with a lot of starts and playing time in 2024.
Wide Receiver Four?
Now for the offensive side of the ball, the combination of Deuce Vaughn and KaVontae Turpin.
I know you all are probably thinking, Vaughn is a running back. Well, he has gotten reps in the slot already this summer.
Vaughn only had 30 touches during his rookie season for 80 scrimmage yards.
He won’t see the field being a running back. It just feels like he has a game-changing play in him once or twice a month.
I think Jalen Tolbert is going to land the role of WR3 in the offense this season, so Turpin and Vaughn are the two sleepers on this side of the ball.
7 Hypothetical NFL Trades to Reunite QB-WR Duos - Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report
The Cowboys are putting a lot of faith in their up-and-coming talent at WR, but is there room for another familiar face?
Cowboys Trade for Cedrick Wilson Jr.
The Dallas Cowboys lack reliable receiver depth behind CeeDee Lamb. That’s a particular problem with both Lamb and Dak Prescott in contract years and 2024 shaping up to be a make-or-break season.
Dallas could have targeted former Cowboys receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. early in free agency, but it chose instead to take a do-nothing approach. It signed Eric Kendricks, Royce Freeman and Ezekiel Elliott, and that’s it. It didn’t add a receiver until taking a sixth-round flier on Ryan Flournoy.
After spending the last two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Wilson signed with the New Orleans Saints in March. On a two-year, $5.8 million deal that includes $2.9 million guaranteed, he has a strong chance of making the roster.
Yet, the 28-year-old could have a hard time earning playing time behind Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and second-year man A.T. Perry. The Saints also signed Equanimeous St. Brown and used a fifth-round pick on Bub Means.
If the Saints deem Wilson expendable by the end of camp, they could look to acquire some draft capital and $1.4 million in 2024 cap space by trading him. If that happens, Dallas should be very interested.
Wilson spent the first four years and three seasons of his career—he was on injured reserve as a rookie—with Prescott and the Cowboys and had a breakout campaign in 2021. He had 45 catches, 602 yards and six touchdowns that season as Dallas’ No. 3 receiver.
With this theoretical trade, he could return to that role in 2024.
Micah, McCarthy relationship is thriving in 2024 - Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
McCarthy taking over the play calling on offense was a big step in 2023, and now in a contract season it will be interesting to see how involved he may be with Mike Zimmer’s defense.
It’s a relationship between head coach and generational player that has blossomed over the past three seasons, as Parsons recently explained.
“Oh man, me and coach McCarthy are super well,” said the three-time First-Team All-Pro pass rusher.
Parsons spoke in great depth during minicamp regarding team chemistry and his role in it, and it appears the topic has been broached by McCarthy as well, and the two are on the same page.
“We met for an hour or so just the other week,” Parsons said. “I don’t think people understand just how much more McCarthy is invested in me in becoming a leader, and how he thinks I value the team and where we’re headed. I think McCarthy is really good and I really value our conversations and our relationship growing more as he’s been here.
“And I think that’s very powerful to me.”
Prior to this offseason, it was more often Dan Quinn, former Cowboys’ defensive coordinator turned Washington Commanders’ head coach, who was the support column for Parsons but, with that having changed for 2024, he and McCarthy find themselves having grown that much closer ahead of one of the most pivotal seasons in franchise history.