The Dallas Cowboys Offseason
2022 Dream Draft Pick: George Karlaftis
The Dallas Cowboys have needs at edge rusher, wide receiver, as well as interior offensive and while I doubt he becomes available given the heavy need in the draft at edge rusher, George Karlaftis would be the perfect pick for the Dallas Cowboys. Karlaftis is a powerful defensive end prospect that has phenomenal pass rush technique and excellent versatility and he would be a plug and play rookie on their defensive and could potentially fill the hole left behind Randy Gregory.
The To-Do List
Figure out what to do with Ezekiel Elliott
Ezekiel Elliott is regressing as a runner of the football and that's just the truth and the only reason he's not more disliked by the organization is that he does all the other things outside of running the football at an elite. He's the best blocking running back in the NFL, he's very good receiver, he's tough as nails after playing in 2021 with a partially torn or torn PCL, and he's a very good locker room guy. But as a runner of the football, it's indisputable that Ezekiel is severely lacking and the Dallas Cowboys need to pay him accordingly because this massive contract that they gave him three years a go is starting to look like the worst in football. The Dallas Cowboy's need to convince Elliott to take a big pay cut because he's not worth his money and even he probably knows that. The Dallas Cowboys as of 1/26/2022 are 21 million over the cap and with key players leaving for big contracts, it would be wise of them to figure Elliott's deal. Because the Dallas Cowboy's can't cut him they would have to trade him somewhere and even then they would still be paying a good sized portion of his salary so negotiating with him is probably their only option. Jerry Jones is widely known as the best capoligist in in the NFL with his ability to wheel and deal player contracts to fit under without the players losing money and at times still being able grab free agents but Jerry has his work cut out for him with this Elliott deal. There is also the issue of Tony Pollard leaving after the 2022 season and many, including my self, believe that Pollard is the best running back on the roster and he's the lightning to Ezekiel Elliott's thunder and I can't imagine the Dallas Cowboy's having a successful run game without him. If the Dallas Cowboys and Elliot can't work something out in a major way,
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It's time to start thinking about replacements on the offensive line
The Dallas Cowboys line was again one of the better units in the NFL and what even makes this more impressive is that the backups in this groups like Terrence Steel and Connor McGovern but this group is getting up there in age and their needs to be conversations in the Dallas Cowboys organization about the future after Tyron Smith and Zack Martin when age catches up them. The Dallas Cowboys are one of the best drafting teams in the NFL as every it seems that this team continually drafts talented players that either takeover for released veterans or make position groups better and I don't think free agency is an option considering their lacking cap room so going in on the draft is easily their best option. The Cowboys hold the 24th pick in the NFL draft and the 56th pick in the second of an NFL draft that has a great deal of talented option at the all three position on the line. They could easily find themselves drafting a Charles Cross, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Daniel Faalele in the 1st round for the tackle position and either player would be a fine addition to the team as a rookie or be a great depth pick their first year and then transition outside. Tyron Smith is still a very good offensive tackle but even he took a bit of a step back in 2021 and his injury issues again caught up to him this past season and having one of the above men playing next to him at guard would be a great idea for the upcoming season as the Dallas Cowboys lose Connor Williams thankfully to free agency. Guard will also be a position of need soon as Zack Martin gets up their in age and while he still has plenty of gas in the tank as he comes off 7th pro bowl and 5th All-Pro season but he could hit his ceiling soon and getting another guard to replace him now would ensure a smoother transition and with a potential Kenyon Green falling to them Day 1 or a Sean Rhyan or Zion Johnson being available in Day could be just what they need. The center is a bit more complicated because while the best center prospect to come out of college this century in Tyler Linderbaum isn't totally out of reach for them at pick #24, his likelihood of selected before that is very high and by all accounts the Dallas Cowboys are satisfied with the play of Tyler Biadasz for now. Both Smith and Martin are coming off of pro bowls but the Cowboys will need get their replacements within the next couple years or their in for a rude awakening in the near future.
Draft a defensive lineman
Almost very successful Super Bowl Team in the modern era of football has one thing in common with each other, they have a dominant defensive interior presence in the trenches and some would say that a dominant defensive tackle is a much more valuable commodity come playoff time than other need on the team outside of the quarterback position. Teams like Kansas City, Philadelphia, New England, and others have relied on 3x pro bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones, 6x pro bowler Fletcher Cox, and 5x pro bowler Vince Wilfork to hold up in the trenches and create havoc in the backfield. While Dallas "might" have their quarterback in Dak Prescott, Dallas has lacked a dominant presence in the middle for quite some time and finally addressing that position in this draft could be a major step in the right direction for this team.
There might be some potential players that pop up in free agency that could come into Dallas and make a difference in interior like Grady Jarrett from Atlanta whose contract is up in 2023 but the Falcons are likely to cut him which would save them 16.5 million in cap and make rebuilding the that franchise a lot easier for head coach Arthur Smith. Ndamukong Suh is available and would be cheap for them but he's 35 and needs players around him to get free and make plays. Akiem Hicks and would certainly bring Dallas the monstrous size that the Cowboys have missed in the middle but he's on the wrong side of 30 and has never been the dominant presence in the middle with help from his pass rushers in Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn. That leaves the NFL draft and while rarely is their a defensive tackle that can come into the NFL and wreak havoc early, they do occasionally happen and the NFL is due for one and there are three defensive tackles in my opinion that could be that presence early and often for this team.
Jordan Davis: Jordan Davis, despite his #7 overall ranking on my big board, has a small chance to to be available to Dallas at #24 in the draft not just because most teams needs are elsewhere but because his skill set doesn't often entice teams to take defensive tackles like him very high in the draft. The 6'6" and 344 lbs. mammoth defensive tackle made Georgia's defensive the best college football defense in the last decade and it's because of his play in the interior that has helped shoot many Georgia defenders up draft boards. His issue, he's not much of a pass rusher coming out of the college and his role of eating up blocks is often not a high priority for teams in the first round. Davis is a freakish athletic specimen and would be a tremendous fit on a defensive line in Dallas as he would give superstar linebacker and pass rusher Micah Parsons huge gaps to blitz and open up lanes for the rest of the defense to attack just like he did for Georgia. There are teams that still utilize nose guards like Jordan Davis and the Dallas Cowboys will need to hope that they address needs outside of the defensive line for them to have shot without trading up but if he's available at the Cowboys pick, they shouldn't think too hard or wait very long to turn his card in.
DeMarvin Leal: DeMarvin Leal is looked at by many as the best defensive tackle in the draft with his elite athletic traits and pass rushing ability and his availability at #24 is very slim considering he is my #12 overall player. Unfortunately for him he got arrested for marijuana possession in December which could affect his draft stock tremendously if he doesn't assure teams of his character and his decision making, and the isn't a team more willing to take on players with questionable characteristics and decision-making than the Dallas Cowboys with their long history troubled players. Leal was a monster at Texas A&M as a pass rusher and against the run and on the Dallas Cowboys defensive line he could be a special player in the middle. He's a phenomenal gap penetrator and can be the disrupting presence in the middle that Dallas hasn't in a very long time and he could be the long-term answer to problem Dallas has had in the defensive interior.
Logan Hall: Logan Hall is the most likely draft prospect to fall to the Dallas Cowboys at #24 and he would be a great pick for them in the interior as well. He has enjoyed a great draft process this season after turning a great year for the Houston Cougars as a pass rusher in the interior and with elite length, athleticism, and technique he should be among the top prospects in the draft however his size at 6'6" and 275 lbs. likely scares teams away. The Dallas Cowboys defense however utilizes a 4-3 defense that has has successful players of Logan Hall's size and build such as David Irving and Jason Hatcher and Hall has a much higher ceiling and floor than both players as a pass rusher. Run defense is an issue for him at his size and it will only get worse in the NFL if he doesn't add more to his frame.
There might be some potential players that pop up in free agency that could come into Dallas and make a difference in interior like Grady Jarrett from Atlanta whose contract is up in 2023 but the Falcons are likely to cut him which would save them 16.5 million in cap and make rebuilding the that franchise a lot easier for head coach Arthur Smith. Ndamukong Suh is available and would be cheap for them but he's 35 and needs players around him to get free and make plays. Akiem Hicks and would certainly bring Dallas the monstrous size that the Cowboys have missed in the middle but he's on the wrong side of 30 and has never been the dominant presence in the middle with help from his pass rushers in Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn. That leaves the NFL draft and while rarely is their a defensive tackle that can come into the NFL and wreak havoc early, they do occasionally happen and the NFL is due for one and there are three defensive tackles in my opinion that could be that presence early and often for this team.
Jordan Davis: Jordan Davis, despite his #7 overall ranking on my big board, has a small chance to to be available to Dallas at #24 in the draft not just because most teams needs are elsewhere but because his skill set doesn't often entice teams to take defensive tackles like him very high in the draft. The 6'6" and 344 lbs. mammoth defensive tackle made Georgia's defensive the best college football defense in the last decade and it's because of his play in the interior that has helped shoot many Georgia defenders up draft boards. His issue, he's not much of a pass rusher coming out of the college and his role of eating up blocks is often not a high priority for teams in the first round. Davis is a freakish athletic specimen and would be a tremendous fit on a defensive line in Dallas as he would give superstar linebacker and pass rusher Micah Parsons huge gaps to blitz and open up lanes for the rest of the defense to attack just like he did for Georgia. There are teams that still utilize nose guards like Jordan Davis and the Dallas Cowboys will need to hope that they address needs outside of the defensive line for them to have shot without trading up but if he's available at the Cowboys pick, they shouldn't think too hard or wait very long to turn his card in.
DeMarvin Leal: DeMarvin Leal is looked at by many as the best defensive tackle in the draft with his elite athletic traits and pass rushing ability and his availability at #24 is very slim considering he is my #12 overall player. Unfortunately for him he got arrested for marijuana possession in December which could affect his draft stock tremendously if he doesn't assure teams of his character and his decision making, and the isn't a team more willing to take on players with questionable characteristics and decision-making than the Dallas Cowboys with their long history troubled players. Leal was a monster at Texas A&M as a pass rusher and against the run and on the Dallas Cowboys defensive line he could be a special player in the middle. He's a phenomenal gap penetrator and can be the disrupting presence in the middle that Dallas hasn't in a very long time and he could be the long-term answer to problem Dallas has had in the defensive interior.
Logan Hall: Logan Hall is the most likely draft prospect to fall to the Dallas Cowboys at #24 and he would be a great pick for them in the interior as well. He has enjoyed a great draft process this season after turning a great year for the Houston Cougars as a pass rusher in the interior and with elite length, athleticism, and technique he should be among the top prospects in the draft however his size at 6'6" and 275 lbs. likely scares teams away. The Dallas Cowboys defense however utilizes a 4-3 defense that has has successful players of Logan Hall's size and build such as David Irving and Jason Hatcher and Hall has a much higher ceiling and floor than both players as a pass rusher. Run defense is an issue for him at his size and it will only get worse in the NFL if he doesn't add more to his frame.