Dallas Cowboys

Overview

The Cowboys returned to the playoffs in 2009 and won its first playoff game under Wade Phillips and Tony Romo.  Dallas has some needs to fill if they want to hang onto the NFC East crown in 2010 though.  The Cowboys currently own the 27th pick in the draft.

Assets

Quarterback Tony Romo has developed into a quality starting quarterback who puts up good numbers, however, he still tends to struggle against teams that can pressure him into making mistakes.  Minnesota’s Chad Greenway basically told ESPN’s Brian Kenney on his radio show that he basically watched Tony Romo deflate before his eyes during the Cowboys playoff loss to the Vikings.  Romo does well until you hit him in the mouth a couple of times and then he tends to fall apart.

There is tons of depth at running back with Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice.  Barber is still considered the starter, but, Jones made a strong case for being the featured back with his play down the stretch of the season.  Barber and Jones compliment each other very well.  Barber is the short yardage beast between the tackles while Jones is the home run hitter with break-away speed.  The main issue with the two is they can never seem to stay healthy for an entire season and it seems as though one or the other is always battling a nagging injury of one kind or another.  Choice could start for a number of teams in the league, and, at the very least, be the number two back on most teams.

Jason Witten is as good a pass catching tight end as there is in the league.  He has averaged 90 catches and 1,042 yards over the past three seasons.

Miles Austin emerged as one of the best young receivers in the game in 2009.  However, it remains to be seen if he is going to truly be one of the league’s elite receivers for years to come.  Sure he put up some eye-popping games this season but those games came against some of the worst secondaries in the league.  He struggled at times against some of the league’s better corner backs.

The interior offensive line led by Leonard Davis and Andre Gurode excels at run-blocking and opening up holes for Barber and Jones.

On the defensive side of the ball Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware give the Cowboys two of the better bookend 3-4 linebackers in the league.  Ware is considered one of the best pass rushers in the league, though, he struggled at times last season while Spencer emerged as a disruptive force on run defense pacing Dallas with 10 tackles-for-loss.  There are those who thought Spencer was playing the best football on the defensive side of the field for the Cowboys over the last month or so of the season.

Jay Ratliff emerged as a disruptive force in the middle of the line posting six sacks and 7 tackles-for-loss earning his first All Pro selection.

Bradie James and Keith Brooking are as solid a tackling duo at ILB as there is in the league.  Neither guy is terribly dynamic in terms of making big plays, but, they make the plays that need to be made on run defense.

Mike Jenkins is an emerging talent at corner back and led the team with 19 passes defensed and five interceptions.

Liabilities/Needs

One of Dallas’ major weaknesses on offense is at the tackle positions.  Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo are both on the downside of their careers.  Adams has been one of the most penalized players in the league over the past couple of years and he is beginning to become a drive killer by taking bad penalties to compensate for his declining abilities.  Dallas needs to do a better job at protecting Romo if they want to make a deep playoff run.  They were able to mask a lot of their deficiencies by switching gears and featuring the running game over the second half of the season.

The Cowboys only other real area of need on offense is at wide receiver.  Austin usurped Roy Williams as the alpha receiver, and neither Williams or Patrick Crayton played consistently enough to hold down the other starting job opposite Austin.

Defensively the secondary is still a bit of a mess.  Jenkins is an emerging star but Terrence Newman has always been overrated and picks up more penalties than he does interceptions in pass coverage.  Newman is a solid cover guy but has always been prone to giving up the big play during his career.

The safeties are merely adequate.  Starters Gerald Sensabaugh and Ken Hamlin combined for exactly one interception and 8 passes defensed and neither player recorded a sack, a tackle-for-loss, or forced a fumble.  To put it bluntly neither guy is a play-maker nor do they deliver the big hit in run support.  They are just kind of there.

Brooking is still a quality player but he will turn 35 next season and the Cowboys need to think about who his successor is going to be with former first round selection Bobby Carpenter looking more-and-more like a bust these days.

Bottom Line

There is no telling what Jerry Jones might do, he is always the wild card when it comes to the Cowboys’ draft.  His drafts have tended to be very hit or miss when he does not have a guy like Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells in his ear to help guide him along.  He did fairly well in ‘08 when he nabbed Jones and Jenkins in the first round, but, last year’s draft was fairly forgetful after dealing away his first round pick for Roy Williams.

Conventional wisdom says the Cowboys should look to land the best available offensive tackle or defensive back they can get their hands on.  With that said Iowa’s Bryan Bulaga and Maryland’s Bruce Campbell moving up a lot of draft boards it seems unlikely there will be an offensive tackle prospect graded as a first rounder available when Dallas picks.

If Bulaga or Campbell are off the board I would not put it past Jones to reach for someone like USC tackle Charles Brown who is considered an early second round prospect.

If they pass on taking a tackle in the first round then look for Boise cornerback Kyle Wilson or South Florida safety Nate Allen to emerge as prime candidates.

A wild card could be USC’s Taylor Mays whose stock has been plummeting in recent weeks.  The Cowboys need a safety and I would not be surprised to see Jerry make a move to grab him if he falls into the late teens or early 20s.

Penn State ILB Sean Lee is a potential second round target for the Cowboys who are interested in finding a long-term replacement alongside Bradie James as opposed to signing veterans to short term deals to plug the hole.

If they fail to land a tackle in the first round then West Virginia’s Selvish Capers could be an option for Dallas at 59.

Notre Dame’s Golden Tate and Syracuse’s Mike Williams are a couple of receivers being targeted as late second round prospects that could interest Dallas as potential #2 receiver options opposite Austin.

Cincy wide out Mardy Gilyard is another potential receiver prospect in the second round, but, I am not sure if he is going to be anything more than a successful slot receiver in the NFL.

Cal’s Syd’Quan Thompson, IUP’s Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Kentucky’s Trevard Lindley, and Vanderbilt’s Myron Lewis are all late third round corner prospects that could potentially help the Cowboys out.

Ohio State’s Kurt Coleman is a potential third round safety prospect.

Tulane’s Jeremy Williams is a receiver prospect tagged for the end of the third round.  They could have an outside shot at landing Jordan Shipley in the third, but, when I see Shipley I see another Wes Welker and I am not sure how well a player like him fits into the Cowboys’ offense.