The Dallas Cowboys are half-way through the 2019 season with a record of 5-3. They are now entering into the toughest stretch of the season with several tough match-ups spread out over a short time period. On top of all that, the Philadelphia Eagles are currently sitting only one game behind them in the division and the Eagles have a soft second half schedule. The Cowboys have been inconsistent so far this season. They have played exceptionally well in their victories (against mostly sub par teams) but played poorly for most of their 3 losses. Now is the time for the Dallas Cowboys to put it all together and finish the season strong. In order to do that, they need to get their best personnel on the field. Here are 5 Dallas Cowboys players that have earned more playing time the rest of the season.
5. LB JOE THOMAS
Joe Thomas doesn’t see the field as often as he should. He is buried on the depth chart behind the talented threesome of Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch, and Sean Lee. However, when he has gotten opportunities to get on the field he has played exceptionally well. He could continue to see an uptick in playing time due if the neck injury sustained by Vander Esch against the Eagles continues to linger. Even if Vander Esch returns to action as he plans to against the Vikings, there is always the possibility that Sean Lee, who has a long history of being injury prone, is forced to miss some time. You would hate to see any of those players miss time but it is nice to know the Joe Thomas is waiting in the wings if anything does happen.
4. RB TONY POLLARD
The Dallas Cowboys drafted Tony Pollard to play a complimentary role to Ezekiell Elliott but he has had limited opportunities so far this season. When he was drafted, he was considered to by a hybrid wide receiver/running in the mold of Duke Johnson but he has sparsely been used in the passing game. Against the Giants last week, he was targeted a couple of times but unfortunately he did not take advantage of those opportunities dropping what would have been a sure touchdown pass at one point. Regardless of that missed opportunity, the Cowboys should continue to find ways to get him involved in the passing game. Tony Pollard has impressed in the running game in relief of Ezekiel Elliott thus far. The Dallas Cowboys should try to employ more two back sets to get Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard on the field at the same time and give defenses something to think about.
3. TE BLAKE JARWIN
The return of Jason Witten has brought with it a sense of consistency and stability in the blocking aspect of the tight end position. The downside is that he may be hindering the development of the two young tight ends Blake Jarwin and Dalton Shultz. I would certainly love to see more of Blake Jarwin this season. On the rare occasions when Jarwin does see the field he has shown the ability to get downfield and create mismatches in the passing game. If the Dallas Cowboys could incorporate more of Blake Jarwin into the offense, despite his apparent limitations as a blocker, he can continue to bring a little more explosiveness that Jason Witten just doesn’t have at this point in his career.
2. CB JOURDAN LEWIS
For the past season and a half, Jourdan Lewis has been relegated to a back-up role for no other reason than he is too small. Passing game co-ordinator/ assistant defensive co-ordinator Kris Richard prefers defensive backs who possess length and Jourdan Lewis’ 5”10 inch frame doesn’t’ quite fit the mold. This season, injuries in the secondary have afforded Lewis with some opportunities to contribute and he has responded as many predicted he would by playing lights out. Widely considered the best cornerback on the roster prior to last season, Jourdan Lewis is showcasing why he was considered a first round talent despite falling to the Cowboys in the 3rd round of the 2017 draft. Lewis has a propensity for takeaways and he is a sure tackler despite his size. Lewis was heavily featured against the Giants last week and it appears as if the Cowboys coaching staff have finally relented in holding him back so we should finally see a lot more of Jourdan Lewis in the future.
1. S DONOVAN WILSON
Donovan Wilson was selected in the 6th round of the 2019 draft and the rookie safety made quite an impression in the pre-season leading the league with 3 interceptions. Wilson impressed the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff so much that despite incurring an injury before the season started, Wilson was still selected to the 53 man roster. Unfortunately, Wilson is buried on the depth chart as the 4th safety and has only gotten opportunities on special teams. The Cowboys coaching staff continues to trust Jeff Heath as the starting strong safety and veteran Darian Thompson has played well in a reserve roll. If only the Cowboys would have given Wilson some opportunities, specifically in garbage time of their 5 blowout victories, we may have had a better indication of what he can bring to the table. I happen to believe that Donovan Wilson is a natural ball hawk and if the past two Cowboys victories have shown us anything, it is that being able to take the ball away does great things for our football team.
*Photo by Keith Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode