By Mark Halpern
Well, another preseason has come and gone, and the Cowboys didn’t win one single game. Now preseason isn’t about wins and losses; it’s about seeing who will make the final roster. At 4 pm today, the Cowboys released their final depth chart, and I am delighted with the outcome.
The Offense is back to full strength with Dak Prescott taking full pads practices, and he will be the leader on the field for this season. One of the Cowboys’ positions that they were trying to figure out was the backup quarterback, and Cooper Rush won the battle, however with news of Cam Newton release from New England, I can’t see how the Cowboys wouldn’t be in play. The running backs will be the same talented group of Zeke Elliot and Tony Pollard. The wide receiver group is in the top 3 in the league. Armani Cooper, Michael Gallup, and Cee Dee Lamb will be roaming the gridiron with Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown. The tight ends remain the same with Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz.
The offensive line was a big problem last year but, this year, it’s full strength. Leading the way will be Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, La’el Collins, Connor Williams, and Terrence Stelle blocking and opening holes. I am proud of Matt Farinok for making the depth chart. He did everything right and showed the Cowboys he belongs on the team. With this line in place and staying healthy, this Cowboys offense will be at the top of the league.
Defensively the Cowboys made some significant changes. First, Brining in Dan Quinn to take charge and reformulate this entire defense. The defensive line has Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory on the ends. I am pulling for Gregory to have a big year cause he worked his way back from offseason troubles last year. Dorrance Armstrong had a considerable preseason, and Neville Gallimore will miss the first 2-3 games with an elbow injury. This year, they have depth, and I expect things from the line like not giving up a hundred yards on the ground in the first quarter.
The Linebacking crew is top three in the NFL this year. Leighton Vander Esch is coming off an injury-plagued season last year but is fully healthy and has an excellent vision all over the field. Jaylon Smith, the man whom teams thought, would never play again after his knee injury in college a few years back but has emerged as one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Keanu Neal came to the team this offseason and has not been disappointed. Now the Cowboys used the draft very wisely for this position. They drafted Micha Parson and Jabril Cox. These two are studs, and they have performed well during the preseason and will excel during the regular season.
One of the biggest problems the Cowboys had was the secondary. Trevon Diggs, Jordan Lewis, and Anthony Brown return from last season. They all have adjusted nicely to Dan Quinn’s new defensive scheme. The significant addition of Malik Hooker, who will be playing strong safety this year, will be critical for this defense. He can cover the field well and is very experienced. One big surprise here was rookie Israel Mukuamu who played his heart out and even picked off a pass in the final game. He deserved the roster spot, and I look for him to do fine things.
Special teams is a little stronger than it was. Greg Zuerlein will be handling the placekicking and can drive a field goal from over 60 yards; and has been very consistent over his time in the NFL. Punting for the Cowboys is Bryan Anger. I like what I have seen, and may he take as much anger out on the ball as he wants.
I have very high expectations for this year’s team as they break camp and take on Tampa in week one next Thursday night. This will be an actual test of this Cowboys team going up against Brady and the SuperBowl champs but, I like what I am seeing, and LET’S GO COWBOYS!
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