
7 Questions about the Cowboys Heading into Week One’s Match-up
And we know Ezekiel Elliott isn’t one of them
7. Can Sean Lee, Jaylon Smith and others contain Christian McCaffrey?
This season means year two of Jaylon Smith on the field. Fans are excited to see the strides Jaylon has continued to make in his recovery from that horrific ACL and MCL injury in the 2015 Fiesta Bowl. The good news is Jaylon no longer needs to wear the ankle foot orthosis (AFO) brace for drop foot like he did last season, and he hasn’t worn it since he began his offseason training in February. Jaylon has looked more explosive and quicker sideline-to-sideline this year in training camp and in preseason action. He’s beginning to look more like his Fighting Irish form, and soon we’ll know just how close that resemblance is. If this video he tweeted out is any indicator, there’s reason to be hopeful.
As for Sean Lee, we know just how important he has been to the Cowboys defense in years’ past. The only issue has been Lee being able to stay on the field. Lee has never played sixteen games, missing five games just last year. To put it simply, the Cowboys defense has been decent to good with Lee on the field and the defense has been plain bad without him. With the Cowboys taking Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch in the first round the hope is that a linebacker corps of Jaylon Smith, Vander Esch, and Damien Wilson can ease Lee’s workload when needed. Or at the least, that the defense doesn’t turn into Swiss cheese the moment Lee is off the field.
The Carolina Panthers are expected to implement a huge dose of Christian McCaffrey into their offense this year. Just about everyone in the world has reported so. Christian McCaffrey proved effective in the passing game last year, catching 80 balls for 651 yards and 5 touchdowns. But there is still something for him to prove as a runner, and whether or not he can be the all-purpose, between-the-tackles runner the Panthers want him to be. Dallas’ linebackers will have their hands full with following McCaffrey around the field and trying to limit him both as a runner and a receiver. This is the perfect test for Jaylon Smith to see where he is as a player, he’ll have to prove that his apparent improved mobility will help him in coverage.
The Cowboys defense struggled mightily on third down last season, especially in third-and-medium and third-and-short situations. The Cowboys’ defensive tackles and linebackers will have to better in these situations if they expect to be better on defense. Stopping McCaffrey in these situations will be key in this Sunday’s match-up. A healthy Sean Lee and nimble Jaylon Smith should help.
6. Are Kavon Frazier and Chidobe Awuzie healthy?
Both young defensive backs got dinged up recently.
Kavon Frazier’s shoulder popped out of place in the third preseason game. Fortunately the training staff was able to pop the shoulder back into place and the x-rays showed no signs of damage. Despite being listed as questionable, Frazier is expected to start and has participated in two full practices wearing a shoulder harness and brace.
Chidobe Awuzie tweaked his back Wednesday in practice. He participated in Friday’s practice and is expected to play as well. But it’s still something to keep an eye on for the young corner, whom the Cowboys believe is a cornerstone to their defense.
Xavier Woods has been ruled out for Week 1 dealing with a hamstring injury.
5. Will Taco Charlton and Randy Gregory be difference makers?
Taco Charlton is now entering his second season and Randy Gregory has been reinstated into the league after his year-long suspension. Both should be eager to prove their worth and prove that they weren’t selected too high. Gregory likely would have been a first round pick, or even a top-15 selection, if it wasn’t for his off-the-field concerns. Taco is coming off just a three sack year, meanwhile Gregory has only posted a single sack since being drafted.
From what we’ve seen of Randy Gregory this year, it’s been encouraging. Here he is beating Tyron Smith off the edge in practice.
And here is an absolute beauty of a spin move in the third preseason game.
Get that kind of speed rushing the quarterback opposite of Demarcus Lawrence and that’s something to be excited about. While Taco Charlton hasn’t shown the same kind of strength or nuance in his pass rushing quite yet, there is still reason to have hope.
But Taco is easily handled here by rookie offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey in the third preseason game (the defensive end on the offense’s right, not circled).
Taco appears to stand up and not stay low enough here in his rush, an issue that he’ll have to correct if he wants to become a more effective pass rusher.
4. How good are these tight ends?
Jason Witten, the 11 time Pro Bowler, 2 time All Pro, Cowboys legend and future Hall of Famer has retired. Where does that leave the Cowboys? Not in the most ideal situation. Although this was inevitable, the Cowboys may have not done a sufficient job replacing Witten. The Rico Gathers experiment has yet to yield any real substance, but he has shown enough to coaches for them to give him a spot on the 53-man roster. Something that a decent amount of Cowboys’ beat writers did not envision happening. The 6' 6" 280 pound prospect pulled in 10 catches for 83 yards throughout the preseason. Whether Gathers is really a professional football player or not, will be seen.
The Cowboys also tried to address the situation by drafting Stanford’s Dalton Schultz in the fourth round, a guy who actually played tight end in college. News about Witten’s retirement broke the morning after the first round and that pressed the Cowboys into having to take someone. Through three years at Stanford he caught 55 balls for 555 yards and 5 touchdowns. Schultz has fine hands but struggles to create separation. But it’ll ultimately come down to how well he can block at the NFL level that will determine how much he sees the field (Schultz was the victim of Jaylon Smith’s filthy spin move shown earlier). He might not have the strength or technique to be a complete blocker at this level yet, but at the least he showed the willingness to block at Stanford.
Here Schultz not only shows his willingness to block but also his understanding of the scheme.
Geoff Swaim, the expected starter, and Blake Jarwin will likely get the majority of the work in passing situations. Swaim is the guy who has the most familiarity with the playbook. Jarwin who was signed last year as an undrafted free agent, saw some game action against Atlanta and fared pretty well blocking in a game that the offensive line struggled immensely. It’s been Jarwin that has forged an apparent connection with Dak over the offseason.
3. Is the new crop of receivers serviceable?
Like the noticeable departure at tight end, there was another old face from the receivers room that left this offseason. The Cowboys cut Dez Bryant soon after signing free agent Allen Hurns. While it was speculated whether Dallas viewed Hurns as an addition to bolster their passing game alongside Dez or if he was the man tasked with replacing Dez, those questions were answered with Bryant’s release. His diminished production might’ve not been the only reason for his departure, an apparent rift within the locker room also caused issues. That’s all spilt milk now, Dez is gone.
Allen Hurns’ best year came in 2015 when he caught 64 passes for 1,031 yards and 10 touchdowns in Jacksonville. He has since only played in 21 of the last 32 games. This year he’ll be trying to get back to what he had achieved in 2015.
Probably the most exciting addition to the receiver corps came through the draft when the Cowboys selected Colorado State’s Michael Gallup in the third round. Many draft analysts were surprised Gallup had fallen to №81 overall. In two seasons at Colorado State, Gallup posted 176 catches for 2,690 yards and 21 touchdowns. Those are some very encouraging numbers. And the tape is just as encouraging. You’ll see a well rounded receiver that does all the things you could ask of him well. Good hands, the ability to create separation, wins contested catches, and can make plays once the ball is in his hands.
Gallup has a legitimate chance to become the №1 receiver on this team by the end of the year. He has already developed good chemistry with Dak throughout the offseason. Here are his catches from the preseason.
After taking Gallup in the third, the Cowboys would go on to trade the 192nd overall pick to the Rams for Tavon Austin. Austin was a highlight machine at West Virginia, like possibly the best highlight tape ever kind of good. That got him drafted eighth overall in the 2013 draft. Now Austin hasn’t lived up to that draft pick during his tenure in the league, but he has at the least been a serviceable weapon. In 2015 Austin caught 52 balls for 473 yards and 5 touchdowns, while also rushing 52 times for 434 yards and 4 touchdowns for the Rams. That’s the kind of versatility that the Cowboys were so intrigued in. The Cowboys see Austin as such a versatile weapon that they wouldn’t call him a receiver all offseason, instead they coined him a “web-back”. So they plan to get Austin involved in the running game too. Possibly Austin can succeed in this all-purpose role in a way that Ryan Switzer apparently couldn’t (or maybe that’s Scott Linehan’s fault). Austin like Switzer, has a history playing running back. In high school he set Maryland state records for career points, touchdowns, total offensive yards and rushing yards.
Cowboys also signed league journeyman Deonte Thompson, whose best statistical season came just last year when he caught 27 passes for 430 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo, and caught 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in Chicago. Thompson will be entering his seventh season.
The №2 and №3 receivers will be veterans Terrance “Elbows” Williams and Cole Beasley. And we already know who both these guys are. Williams is a speedster whose best trait is probably his willingness to block downfield. Williams has provided some “Wow!” plays over the years with nice toe drags, but he’s also provided more than enough “Are you kidding me?!” moments too. Most notable for entering his sixth NFL season without figuring out how to catch the ball with his hands. Williams was charged with public intoxication and leaving the scene of an accident this past May, and he’s also been recovering from a foot injury.
Cole Beasley has developed a good connection with Dak over his first two seasons. Beasley led the team in receptions and yards in 2016 with 75 receptions for 833 yards and 5 touchdowns. Dak has stated publicly that he feels good about his chemistry with Beasley and sees him as his “go-to-guy”. But his production dwindled to just 36 catches for 314 yards and 4 touchdowns last year. It was the first season with a year of tape on Dak out, and it was the first season after Cole Beasley had been a primary target in an offense. Ezekiel Elliott missed six games, the offensive line was banged up, and Scott Linehan isn’t creative. A number of reasons or excuses can be pointed to, but then again Cole Beasley just probably isn’t the guy you want leading your receiving group.
2. Has Dak improved and taken that next step?
Is Dak seeing the field better? Is his footwork cleaner? Has he become more accurate? Is Dak anticipating and throwing people open? The answers to these questions will likely determine just how good the Cowboys can be. Ever since Tony Romo hasn’t been at the helm, the Cowboys offense has changed drastically. And that’s to be expected when you transition from a veteran quarterback who had recently been playing at an MVP level to an inexperienced rookie. The lack of explosive plays in the passing game will and has taken a toll on the offense’s ability to be unpredictable and keep defenses unbalanced. Sharp Football Stats defines an explosive pass as one that gained more than fifteen yards. Dak completed 36 of these passes in 2016 which ranked 15th in league, but only completed 20 in 2017 good for 31st in the league.
In that linked article, John Owning did a very nice job of explaining some of Dak’s inaccuracy issues because of his footwork. He goes on to examine Dak’s lead foot and how he is inconsistent of transferring his weight from his back foot to his lead foot. This shows a lack of hip usage while throwing, leaving Dak reliant on his arm strength alone and thus leading to inaccuracy.
Dak has displayed great poise and leadership in his first two seasons, that is unquestioned. But Dak will have to improve his throwing mechanics and his understanding of the NFL game to become a better quarterback. Whether he can get the ball out on time and accurately will be the deciding factor in just how high this Cowboys offense can go. He’ll have to display a greater understanding of the offensive playbook and the various defenses that will be thrown at him if he wants to earn that franchise quarterback money.
Something other than the least creative offensive scheme in all of football out of Scott Linehan could also help.
1. How well can Joe Looney fill in for All-Pro Travis Frederick?
This comes as the latest and uneasiest question. All of the other questions for the most part could’ve been anticipated after the NFL Draft had ended.
Travis Frederick has been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease known as Guillain-Barre syndrome, after having tests done following suffering from stingers and complaints of numbness in his arms. He doesn’t know when he’ll play football again. For Frederick’s day-to-day well being and his life after football, I wish him the best in his battle against this. The team has decided to leave him on the active roster rather than placing him on IR, leaving some hope for a return. But today’s reality is that the Cowboys are without him, and football is all about the next man up. Joe Looney is the man tasked with filling in for the 4 time Pro Bowler and captain.

The former fourth round pick out of Wake Forest has a daunting task ahead of him, but it very well could be a rewarding one. Offensive guard Ronald Leary earned himself a contract with the Denver Broncos because of the work he put it in with the Cowboys. If Looney steps in and does a good job he very easily could earn himself a contract in a league with offensive line woes. This past offseason we saw offensive lineman get record deals like other positions.
Fortunately for Looney, he has All Pro right guard Zack Martin to his right. Perhaps unfortunately, Looney has rookie left guard Connor Williams to his left. How well that interior tandem of Looney and Williams holds up will be seen this Sunday in Carolina.
