Cowboys mailbag: Questions on the first scorer, grading the roster, and the battle in the trenches
Every week, we take questions on X (Twitter) and Facebook about Dallas Cowboys players and other issues surrounding the team. For the first week of the regular season we have a special guest writer, the great and powerful, Jess Nevarez. So let’s get right into it.
“Who scores the first touchdown for Dallas this season?”
(@Chris Brown on Facebook)
Mike: I’m not going to go crazy here and predict a special teams touchdown or some random score. The answer for this is playing the odds, and the odds are the primary touchdown scorer for Dallas will score first. So the answer is CeeDee Lamb for me. Sure he missed time by holding out but the connection between Dak and Lamb is solid and guaranteed that within five minutes of the two playing together in practice that connection has been rekindled. If Lamb doesn’t manage to get in the paint first then the next guy down is Jake Ferguson.
Dana: I can say with 100% certainty that there is not a person on earth that guessed Noah Igbinoghene would be the first Cowboy to score a touchdown last season in the opener against the Giants where he returned a blocked field goal 58 yards for the score. Defensive and ST touchdowns are not out of the question when we look at this Cowboys team, especially with ball hawks all over the secondary. However, I’m not that risky. It is hard to believe that something like that would happen two seasons in a row.
Offensively, CeeDee Lamb might be the most obvious choice as he just got paid the big bucks. But it may take a while for him to ramp up after missing all of training camp. So I will go ahead and take my guy Jake Ferguson, Dak’s security blanket. Their connection should only be stronger this season and I’m looking for them to start off hot.
Jess: I’m keeping my eyes on TE1 Jake Ferguson to get the team’s first touchdown this season. With the Browns having such difficulties in the red zone last year and using this offseason to fine-tune that issue, the big-body tight ends will be vital in this matchup. The Cowboys should feature a lot of Ferguson in their red zone packages this year.
“What letter grade would you assign right now to Cowboys management on the offseason assembling of this current roster?”
(@MrEd315 on Twitter)
Mike: As always the issue with Dallas in the offseason is the lack of willingness to be a player in the first wave of free agency. Ok, they got Eric Kendricks which is significant, and in training camp the front office really tried to reload the defensive line making some very interesting signings. For the draft, I gave the Cowboys a B+. Guys like Tyler Guyton, Marshawn Kneeland, Cooper Beebe, and Caelen Carson all have massive potential and will play starting roles this week.
The issue is in the running back room and the inside defensive line. Dalvin Cook helps turn the arrow on the running back corps up slightly and adding guys like Linval Joseph and Jordan Phillips adds a positive upgrade for that position. The biggest plus for the defense this year is having Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator, that really pushes the arrow up.
Taking all that in, Dallas gets a C+ grade for what they’ve done. Losing so many parts and neglecting the running back position could be detrimental.
Dana: B-
The Cowboys lost a number of players to free agency and mostly looked to the draft for replacements. From what we have seen so far from the 2024 draft class, the potential is there to have real contributors this season. Tyler Guyton, Marshawn Kneeland, Cooper Beebe, Marist Liufau, and Caelen Carson will all see a lot of playing time as rookies. Time will tell if these picks will all be hits but for now, it seems as though the draft is where the Cowboys have excelled in adding talent to this roster.
The Cowboys’ lack of early activity in free agency is where there could be improvement. They did sign a few players after training camp to help in areas of need like Linval Joseph on the interior defensive line and Dalvin Cook in the running back room. However, the pool for free agents was a lot deeper at the beginning of the offseason. The best free agent signing was Eric Kendricks who is reuniting with Mike Zimmer to be a leader in the linebacker room.
Jess: I would give the Cowboys’ management a C for how they assembled the current roster this offseason. Even after addressing the main concern of how the team would bolster the NT depth after their final preseason game, the run defense could still be a concern. All eyes will continue to be on Mazi Smith and how much he has grown since his rookie season last year as a year-two jump is essential for the team’s success. Each position has good depth going into the season, but my biggest gripe is not getting the CeeDee Lamb deal done sooner so he could have a full training camp and still having Dak Prescott’s extension lingering, leaving him to play in a “prove it year” this season.
“Which side has the toughest task (vs. Cleveland), the Cowboys offensive line or the defensive line?”
(@Gavin Allen on Facebook)
Mike: Sure, the Cowboys defensive line has issues but they are facing a Cleveland offensive line that could starting two tackles coming off injuries or even backups. They also allowed an average of 2.6 sacks per game, 12th-worst in the league last year.
But this offensive line has questions in starting two rookies and facing Myles Garrett, who can take over a game by himself. The Browns finished last year with the sixth-most sacks and allowed the fewest total yards last year. That gives this offensive line a monumental task this week.
Dana: The Cowboys’ offensive line is going to have a huge challenge this week going against the defensive line for the Browns. The two rookie offensive lineman Cooper Beebe and Tyler Guyton have earned their starting spots at C and LT and have looked great during preseason. But going head-to-head with the veterans on the Browns defensive line is a daunting battle for anyone, let alone rookies. Myles Garrett is the reigning DPOY and Za’Darius Smith is a 3x Pro Bowler who can also play on the interior. Hopefully playing against Micah Parsons every day in practice has prepared the young rookies for their NFL debut.
Jess: In this specific matchup the Cowboys’ offense has the toughest task. Both Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe will have their “welcome to the NFL” moments in this game as the Browns’ defensive line will create a challenge throughout the game. Guyton will face 2023 DPOTY Myles Garrett during his Cowboys’ regular season debut. The Browns’ defense thrives off of Garrett, so the one-on-one matchup with these two could be a make-or-break for the Cowboys’ offense. The good news for Cowboys fans is that there is a lion on the Cowboys’ defense by the name of Micah Parsons that has helped prepare Guyton for this moment all offseason. Jim Schwartz’s defense relies heavily on a strong defensive line, so it will be a measuring stick for how strong the Cowboys’ offensive line is going into the rest of the season.