Author: Austin Smith

The Dallas Cowboys draft class and choices during the 2021 NFL Draft raised plenty of eyebrows. One thing is for sure, the Cowboys placed a much higher value on what they saw on the field versus off of it. Let’s take a look at some of the takeaway from the Cowboys draft class. 1. Cowboys willing to look past character concerns Is Micah Parsons the Next Zeke? There have been mixed reviews on this Cowboys draft class, with most of the negative commentary coming from the risk involving several prospects and their history off the field. That starts with first-round…

It’s tough to save the most important position on the football field for last in a series like this. Still, the Cowboys and Dak Prescott made it much easier to wait on this one by agreeing to an extension in March. However, the Cowboys may still try to find a different backup quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. Dak is Back! Imagine the kind of craziness that would be going on in Dallas had the two sides still been at odds on an extension. Much to everybody’s delight, I don’t have to mention the top signal-callers in this class. Injuries…

Like so many positions on the Dallas Cowboys roster in 2020, the running backs saw more disappointment than encouraging play. For the second time in his career, Ezekiel Elliott did not surpass the 1,000-yard mark. He also only had two 100-yard games, the lowest single-season total of his career by far. Elliott only carried the ball 244 times, two more than his career-low in 2017 when he was suspended six games. Still, he played in 15 games while seeing his carries limited for various reasons, averaging a career-low 65.3 rushing yards per game. Ball-Security Issues The fifth-year runner also matched…

The Dallas Cowboys tight end group saw their ups and downs in 2020, starting with Blake Jarwin’s season-ending ACL injury in the season-opener. With Jason Witten no longer dominating the snap count at tight end, expectations were high for Jarwin coming into the year. Unfortunately, those expectations were shut down, after only one catch for 12 yards against the Rams. Still, that created an opportunity for another Cowboys tight end to step up, and Dalton Schultz delivered a breakout performance. After being drafted in the fourth round in 2018, Schultz failed to live up to that pick in his first…

Very few position groups offer the Dallas Cowboys confidence following the disappointment of the 2020 season, but the wide receivers are definitely one of them. In Dak Prescott’s four full games last year, Amari Cooper (401 yards), CeeDee Lamb (309) and Michael Gallup (275) were all on pace to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the season. In addition, Cedrick Wilson had a 100-yard game during that span, giving Dallas five performances where a receiver went for 100 yards before Prescott went down. Needless to say, the receivers were doing their jobs well before the injury to Prescott and continued to…

There aren’t too many positions on this roster that left the 2020 season stronger than they came into it, but the Dallas Cowboys interior offensive line fits in that category. Yes, seeing Zack Martin miss six games was concerning. Still, after only missing two games in his first six years in the league, I’m not worried about his health being a yearly question mark like it is with Tyron Smith. Before the injury, Martin was playing at an All-Pro level, and he should return to that form in 2021. What Went Right? The good news is we got to see…

It’s hard not to be concerned with the play at defensive end after a year in which Dallas’ sack leader brought down the passer a whopping 6.5 times. While that’s not an encouraging amount from a player with Demarcus Lawrence’s salary, it’s also tough to be too disappointed with him, considering his overall impact on the Dallas Cowboys defense. Aldon Smith got off to a strong start in his return to the field, and Randy Gregory returned later in the season and flashed his potential as well. Dorance Armstrong had the most active year of his career, while Everson Griffen…

The disappointment of 2020 stems mainly from the fact that the Dallas Cowboys starting duo of Tyron Smith and La’el Collins played a grand total of 154 snaps. Collins missed the entire season with a hip injury, while Tyron Smith didn’t last more than a game before having surgery to correct an issue with his neck. Word is both are working out in preparation for a strong 2021, but fans of America’s Team won’t rest easy until the two are on the field playing at a high level. To make matters worse in 2020, swing tackle Cameron Erving was also…

Part of the reason the defensive tackles were the biggest disappointment a year ago is because of the effect their shortcomings had on the group playing behind them. I’m not saying Dallas Cowboys linebackers are absolved of all the blame. However, when the players in front of you are getting shoved into your lap, it makes it tough to get to the football. We can also assign some of the blame to the scheme change, as well as the lack of an offseason. Still, it’s hard to come away from the 2020 campaign and not be concerned with our future…

Of all the things that went wrong with the Dallas Cowboys defense last year, perhaps no position was more to blame than the interior players on the defensive front. The transition from a one-gap penetrating scheme under Rod Marinelli to a two-gap system under Mike Nolan was doomed from the start, based on a multitude of unfortunate circumstances. For starters, Nolan’s scheme did not suit the interior bunch returning from the 2019 squad. Former second-round pick Trysten Hill had above-average arm length and enough size to hold his own against attacking offensive linemen. Still, his fit as a two-gap player…