Heading into the NFL Draft every team puts together a strong strategy to get their teams in winning-position for the following years to come.
One of the biggest factors that play into the draft is free agency, which has been nothing short of chaotic thus far with many players switching teams.
While the Dallas Cowboys didn’t necessarily go out and grab the big fish fans were hoping for, Dallas still set themselves up fairly well prior to the draft.
There were plenty of holes to be filled by the players that left the team at starting positions, but that didn’t stop the Cowboys from signing capable players in their places.
Offense
One of the biggest mistakes made by teams is having a gaping hole on your team that forces them to address it in the draft. Having a desperate need at a certain position makes it easier for other teams to jump in front of them in order to snag players.
One example was what happened to the Cowboys following the retirement announcement by Jason Witten before the second round of the draft a couple of years ago. After that hole was left on the team, the Eagles knew they had to jump in front of the Cowboys to draft Dallas Goedert.
However, the signings this off-season for Dallas leaves them with the strategy of drafting the best player available.
There are still needs on this team across the board, but now the Cowboys are at least looking decent at every position.
That is not to say the Cowboys can’t improve, rather more to say that at the moment there aren’t any glaring needs.
The majority of the needs still lie on the defensive side of the ball. The offense really hasn’t taken that much of a hit outside of losing Cam Earvin to the Panthers. Most of the starters along with Tyron Smith and La’el Collins will be returning healthy and ready to become a top 5 offense in the league. Pieces could still be added to the offense, but it has shown multiple times to be the strong side of this team.
The biggest need in Dallas for many years has been the safety position. However, the Cowboys have signed two safeties in Damontae Kazee and Jayron Kearse to get some playing time in the backfield. On top of both of those players, Dallas also added a hybrid defender in Keanu Neal, who is currently looking like he’ll play some linebacker, and strong safety at times. Two of the three players already have experience in Dan Quinn’s defense, so they should be able to contribute heavily in 2021. There is also the big surprise of 2020 that was Donovan Wilson who is looking like someone that could explode for this defense.
Defense
Now on the defensive line side of the ball, the only big losses were Tyrone Crawford to retirement and Aldon Smith. Neither of those players showed the ability to be a game-changer, but the Cowboys were also able to bring in some players to fill in their spots. Tarell Basham, Brent Urban, and Carlos Watkins all have a better future than both players lost in the off-season. Without the draft happening yet, the Cowboys are already looking better with these positions.
After the departure of Chidobe Awuzie who signed with the Bengals, Dallas was still left with a similar group from last year. This is where fans believe most resources need to be spent on given that it’s now two straight years losing a starting corner. Yet the current Cowboys’ starting group wouldn’t be as bad as fans may think. Trevon Diggs shows promise heading into year two, while Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown both have flashed potential as well. Between these three players, the position isn’t as doomed as others believe. There is also the resigning of CJ Goodwin that helps special teams, and another second-year corner in Reggie Robinson.
This is not to say that the Cowboys shouldn’t draft a corner, because they obviously still need the help. This is more as a demonstration that the bar isn’t fully slanted towards the cornerback position.
The Dallas Cowboys have made enough moves to build in a variety of ways. Regardless of what fans may believe, there isn’t a position set in stone for the first-round pick in April.
Instead, fans should be on the lookout for what could be the best draft class since 2016.
Featured Image: Jeremiah Jhass/Dallas Cowboys
