The Dallas Cowboys have had a successful 2018 regular season and they hope to make a run in the 2019 playoffs. There were several players that stood out this season in leading the Cowboys to their 3rd division title in 5 years and here are the 2018 Dallas Cowboys Individual Awards winners.
OFFENSIVE MVP: EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB
“Feed Zeke” has been the mantra of the Dallas Cowboys in 2018. Elliott led the league in touches this season despite not playing the season finale against the Giants. He has always been a dominant runner and excellent blocker but this season he finally emerged as the pass catcher we all knew he could be. He has been relied upon heavily and opposing teams have focused on stopping him but he continues to be the player that carries the Dallas Cowboys offense. The Dallas Cowboys will need Zeke to be at his best if they hope to make some noise in the postseason.
DEFENSIVE MVP: DEMARCUS LAWRENCE DE
The Dallas Cowboys have some stars on their defense including the young tandem of linebackers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch but the best player remains defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. He is a relentless player who can rush the passer, stop the run and create turnovers. He has emerged as a leader in the locker room and has shown the ability to make big plays when his team needs him the most.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: LEIGHTON VANDER ESCH LB
On offense Michael Gallup has emerged as a big play receiver and Connor Williams has started several games at both left and right guard, albeit he has experienced some growing pains, but neither has had the impact of LVE. The “wolf hunter” has far exceeded anyone’s expectations on defense and has emerged as one of the premier young linebackers in the entire league. He is long and rangy, fast, athletic, instinctive and has a knack for making big plays. If not for the superhuman Colts rookie LB Darius Leonard and some other stiff competition from the likes of Bradley Chubb, Derwin James and Denzel Ward, his performance this season would be good enough to earn league defensive rookie of the year and in any other year he would run away with the award. More importantly, the emergence of Vander Esch has allowed for the Cowboys to be unencumbered by the loss of All World LB Sean Lee for the majority of this season.
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR: BYRON JONES CB
Former 1st round draft pick Byron Jones was considered by some a bust prior to the 2018 season. The college corner converted to safety and was a solid starter but had not developed into a special player during his first 3 seasons. This season the Dallas Cowboys coaches moved him back to cornerback and he responded with a Pro Bowl season and established himself as a legitimate shut down corner. Jones is not a ball hawk and so he does not get the interceptions like some other star CB’s in the league can but he is long, athletic, and physical and he flourished under the tutelage of coach Kris Richard.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: JAYLON SMITH LB
There were several defensive players that have really stepped up this season to allow the defense to play at such a high level such as Xavier Woods, Tyrone Crawford, and Maliek Collins. But no one has raised their level of play from 2017 as much as Jaylon Smith has. Last season, after suffering a near career ending injury that cost him his rookie season, he miraculously came back and earned a starting role in the defense. In 2017, he was held back by a foot brace and a drop foot condition that provided a physical and mental barrier and prevented him from reaching his full potential. This season, he seems to have fully recovered and reached his potential as an explosive and special player on the defense. He has also emerged as the leader and quarterback of the defense in the absence of Sean Lee and firmly established himself as the future of the Dallas Cowboys defense.
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR: RANDY GREGORY DE
Here is a player I thought would never again play another game in the National Football League after multiple suspensions and failed drug tests. When Randy Gregory was reinstated to the league and the Dallas Cowboys kept him on their roster, I was not expecting much out of a guy who had not played a down of football in well over a year. I believed the Cowboys should have cut their losses and moved on from the headache that was Randy Gregory. This season, Gregory has proven me and several critics wrong. Not only has he managed to stay on the field but he has become a force for the Dallas Cowboys pass rush. He has had his fair share of costly mistakes but they have been far outweighed by his ability to create pressure. He has also been steadily improving and the pressure is starting to materialize into sacks. 6 sacks in his last 10 games in fact, and a couple of forced fumbles as well. If the Dallas Cowboys are to win in the playoffs, they must be able to rush the passer and having Randy Gregory in the mix playing at a high level will give the Cowboys a chance to make some noise.
SURPRISE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: ANTWAUN WOODS DT
Antwaun Woods was an undersized, undrafted free agent who was released by the Tennessee Titans after a two year stint with the team. Nobody expected this guy to make the team let alone earn a staring role but that is exactly what Woods did this year. He has emerged as not only a starter but as an impact player at a position that was clearly a weakness for the Dallas Cowboys at defensive tackle. With the lack of depth and all the injuries (physical and mental) on the interior defensive line the emergence of Antwaun Woods along with players such as Caraun Reid and Daniel Ross have been integral to the success of the Dallas Cowboys defense in 2018.
LEADERSHIP AWARD: DAK PRESCOTT QB
One thing that the 2018 Dallas Cowboys are not short on is leadership. I had previously mentioned the leadership roles of Jaylon Smith and DeMarcus Lawrence. Then there are other key leaders on the field such as Ezekiel Elliott and Tyrone Crawford. Two of the more inspiring examples of leadership are Travis Frederick and Sean Lee. Travis Frederick has been diagnosed with a rare disease that doesn’t simply impact his football career but his personal life. Despite that, he has been with the team since training camp and contributing to their success from the sidelines during practices and during games. Sean Lee has suffered yet another injury riddled season and yet he has been coaching and mentoring his replacements Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch and helping them attain a level of play that few expected they could have achieved at this point in their careers. Hats off to all of those guys, but if there is one leadership award for the team it should go to the QB Dak Prescott. Dak is by no means perfect but he is a poised and mentally tough young quarterback. I am confident that he will continue to improve and I have faith in his ability to deliver when needed but there is a strong contingent of Cowboys fans that are critical of Dak. Some of the criticism is merited but much of it is pure negativity and hate. The expectations thrust upon a starting QB in the NFL are immense but as the starting QB of the Dallas Cowboys who replaced a very popular franchise QB named Tony Romo those expectations are magnified a thousandfold. Dak Prescott has handled that pressure well, has helped lead the Cowboys to 2 division titles in his first 3 seasons and a 31-15 record during that time. More importantly, he seems to have earned the respect of his teammates. Some of those that are critical of Dak Prescott believe that the Cowboys can never win a championship with him but even those harshest of critics cannot deny that Prescott will give his all every play, fight to the last and work hard each and every year to improve. If that type of character and attitude does not represent a leader than I do not know what does. This Saturday, when the Cowboys host the Seahawks in a wildcard playoff game, the matchup will be tough and the Cowboys may lose but I can guarantee one thing; Dak Prescott will leave it all on the field and do everything in his power to win.
All data and statistics verified and obtained from https://www.pro-football-reference.com/
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode