There has been plenty of dramatic changes to the Dallas Cowboys roster in 2018. Some of those changes have left fans concerned about particular position groups such as wide receiver, tight end and safety. Of all these groups, which position is the biggest concern for the Dallas Cowboys going into the 2018 Season?
Wide receiver is the most notable of those positions after the Cowboys bid farewell to 3 time Pro-Bowler Dez Bryant. The remaining group is made up of unspectacular returning veterans, some rag tag free agent signings and a couple of rookies. That does not inspire confidence among the Cowboy faithful. I happen to believe the WR group will be better than last season thanks to new WR coach Sanjay Laal, a fresh new approach to the passing game and my belief that these guys will function better as a unit while playing with a chip on their shoulders.
If the wide receiver group is not the most concerning what about the tight ends? The retirement of future Hall of Famer Jason Witten was a total surprise this offseason and the Cowboys did not seem prepared for it. Worse still is that the group of tight ends battling to take over the starting job are a collection of unproven guys. Great as Witten was, he was getting a little long in the tooth so I am actually excited to see what Rico Gathers can do or what all the fuss is about Blake Jarwin. I am optimistic that the tight end group currently on the roster will pleasantly surprise a lot of people this year.
After ruling out wide receiver and tight end that now leaves safety. The safety position was arguably the Cowboys greatest weakness last season. Byron Jones and Jeff Heath have some good qualities but neither are legitimate starting safeties in my opinion. New DB coach Kris Richard seems to agree in part and he has responded by moving Jones to CB. Kavon Frazier and Xavier Woods have now been given huge opportunities to earn a starting spot. Both players showed promise last season when given the opportunity and I anticipate both of those players to continue to make strides this year. Safety is a thin group indeed but I feel as though the Cowboys are not done addressing that position yet. And I, not unlike many other Cowboy fans, have not ruled out the possibility of an Earl Thomas trade.
Despite all of the question marks at all of those positions, there is one position that gives me greater concern than all of them. It is not quarterback and it is not linebacker but it is a position that has been a weakness for many years now. It is defensive tackle and here is why. Maleik Collins is a promising player but another foot injury has me doubting his durability and ability to play at 100% effectiveness. David Irving will miss 4 games due to suspension and in addition has been dealing with off the field issues impacting his conditioning. He has never managed to play a full 16 game season and while he has flashed his ability to be disruptive at times he continues to be unreliable. Despite the obvious need at this position the Cowboys did little in the offseason to address the interior D-Line and particularly the 1-Technique spot. They missed out on drafting Vita Vea but they had several opportunities to draft a 1-technique in the later rounds and they did not. This was surprising given the position was clearly one of need and the draft was supposedly loaded with talent at the position. Dallas did acquire Jihad Ward from Oakland via trade and the www.DallasCowboys.com writers have been impressed with him so far but I certainly am not sold on a guy that the Raiders cast aside so willingly.
There is indeed great cause for concern at Defensive Tackle but where there is great concern there is also great hope. I hope that David Irving can get his mind and body right and contribute immediately following his suspension same as last season. I hope that Maleik Collins fully recovers from his foot injury and becomes the player that I believe he can be. I hope that the Jihad Ward hype I am hearing about is legit. I also hope that players like Brian Price or Lewis Neal step up and deliver if the opportunity presents itself for them. Most of all, I hope that this group can pull it together and prove me to be a fool for showing any concern at all.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode