Cowboys news: Dallas relying on draft to maintain advantage in NFC East
The latest Dallas Cowboys offseason news.
Hidden-Gem Prospects Cowboys Must Target in 2024 NFL Draft - Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report
The Cowboys have plenty of starting roles to fill in the draft, but also need to come away with depth options at positions of strength.
RB Blake Corum, Michigan
The Cowboys did re-sign running back Rico Dowdle, which gives them a backfield rotation of Dodwle, Malik Davis and second-year man Deuce Vaughn. There’s some decent depth there, but Dallas lacks a quality starter and needs to, at a minimum, add to its backfield committee.
Unfortunately, the 2024 draft isn’t exactly loaded at the running back position, which is why RBs were a hot commodity early in free agency. If Dallas is willing to wait until Day 4 to address the position, Michigan’s Blake Corum is a player to target.
Corum might not have the high-end athletic upside of a future star, but he’s a sound technical runner who knows how to read defenses and utilize blocks to his advantage. After topping 240 carries in each of the last two seasons, Corum has also shown that he can handle a heavy workload.
The problem for Dallas is that Corum is likely to be an early Day 3 selection—he’s the 114th-ranked prospect on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department’s big board—and the Cowboys don’t have a fourth-round pick.
Dallas does own picks No. 174, 216 and 233, however, and a package might allow it to trade up and into Round 4. That would be a sensible move if the Cowboys can pull it off, as the 2024 class lacks talent on the back end.
CB Andru Phillips, Kentucky
Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips is a prospect Dallas might be able to land with its Round 5 compensatory pick. The 5’10”, 191-pound defensive back is far from a perfect prospect, but his 4.48. speed, athleticism, willingness to tackle and special-teams ability could make him a valuable depth piece.
“He has a good blend of length and athleticism, combined with the versatility to play the outside cornerback and slot positions,” Cory Giddings of the B/R Scouting Department wrote. “Throughout his career, he has shown the ability to be a core special teams player.”
After losing Jourdan Lewis and Trevon Diggs to injuries in 2022 and 2023, the Cowboys know that cornerback depth is important.
While Dallas has had some recent success finding defensive backs on Day 3—Pro Bowler DaRon Bland was a 2022 fifth-round pick—it may not be as fortunate in a 2024 class that lacks depth.
However, Phillips’ ability to contribute on special teams would add value and allow him to benefit the Cowboys even if he can’t get on the field quickly defensively.
Phillips, who recorded five passes defended and 47 tackles for the Wildcats last season, is the 194th-ranked prospect on the B/R board.
PFF names Cowboys best and Eagles worst when it comes to drafting players in the first round - Dan Rogers, Blogging the Boys
The offseason has been slow even by Dallas’ standards, but the draft is a big reason why they can still stay ahead of Philadelphia, New York, and Washington.
There aren’t many blemishes on the Cowboys’ first-round résumé. Yes, we know all about Taco Charlton, and it’s not off to a great start for Mazi Smith, but all seven of their other first-round selections over the last 10 years (remember, no pick in 2019 because of the Amari Cooper trade) have turned out to be All-Pros. When you say it that way, it’s easy to put the Cowboys atop the list and you’d be hard-pressed to find another team that is even close.
One team that is not close is the Philadelphia Eagles. PFF lists them in the “WORST” category. At first glance, this didn’t seem to pass the eye test because as much as we don’t want to admit it, it feels like the Eagles have drafted well recently. First-round players like Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Jordan Davis, and DeVonta Smith all seem like pretty good selections.
Unfortunately, for the Eagles, that’s where the goodness stops. If this study covered just the last few years, Philadelphia would grade out better, but since it goes back a decade, it’s hard to ignore some of the huge missteps this team has made in the first round.
Passing up on Justin Jefferson to take Jalen Reagor? Ouch! Trading up to select tackle Andre Dillard who only started nine games during his four years with the team. That’s not good. And we will never forget the good ol’ Carson Wentz whifferama.
DeMarvion Overshown stands up for his quarterback - Richard Paolinelli, Inside The Star
The Cowboys are relying on second year player DeMarvion Overshown on defense, and he understands the importance of Dak Prescott on offense.
Overshown missed his entire rookie season last year thanks to a knee injury suffered in a preseason game. He’s reportedly on track to be ready for training camp.
I like Overshown and was thrilled when Dallas drafted him in the third round. I think he’s going to be a great player for the Cowboys.
And it sounds like he’s fired up for the 2024 season.
He’s doing the right thing here, standing up for a teammate. That’s what you’re expected to do on any team – at least publicly.
But is he right?
The Guy Leading The Troops
“Dak Prescott is the guy we want leading us into battle on GameDay!”
IMPACT: NFL kickoff rule changes have ripple effects - Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
Jon Fassel has been an important part of the Cowboys success, but new kickoff rules gives his special teams impact even more life in 2024.
After years of tweaking that aspect of the game for what was labeled as concerns for player safety, the league has seen a rabid downturn in the number of returns and a vast deletion of the electric component of kickoffs on the whole — now hoping to reignite the spark in 2024..
That said, it’s fair to assume there will be obvious positive impact for dynamic returners like Turpin, who has made his intentions clear on more than one occasion since joining the as their ace returner in 2022.
“I don’t care because I’m not fair catching [anything],” he reiterated matter-of-factly in May 2023. “I’m being real with you — nothing.”
No worries there, because fair catches are no longer allowed in the NFL anyway. Nor will onside kicks be allowed, unless it occurs in the fourth quarter, and even then the officials must be notified — giving a former Pro Bowler like Turpin nearly free reign to try and demonstrate what he can truly do on special teams.
But, what of the others, such as defensive back Goodwin or an up-and-comer like defensive end Sam Williams, who have made a name for themselves in being (or in Williams’ case, becoming) an ace gunner?
Keep in mind, the job of a gunner is to fly down the sidelines with reckless abandon to try and take down the returner.
Things get very intriguing for them under the new kickoff guidelines.
On one hand, more returns are being virtually guaranteed by the NFL going forward, and that’s great news for Goodwin and the like, because it means more opportunities at helping to control field position and/or delivering a takeaway that puts the ball back into the hands of the Cowboys’ offense. And considering how stellar Goodwin has been in his role as a gunner since he landing in Dallas in 2018.
On the other hand, however, there’s an added challenge here.
The new rule states no players from the kicking team can move until the ball is either touched by the returner or hits the ground, stationary until one of the two things occur. That means the ability for a gunner to take advantage of gaining full speed while the ball is in the air has been eliminated; and that was not by accident, as the league tries to hold firm on its view of player safety.
For his part, Goodwin offered his view on the change, and he’s not only leaning on the optimistic side of the coin, but he also reveals that Cowboys’ special teams coordinator John “Bones” Fassel has long been preparing them for it.
Injury update on former Cowboy gives Dallas perfect buy-low opportunity - Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
Connor Williams’ injury is a legitimate reason for the former Cowboy to still be a free agent.
This year, Dallas has cornered itself to taking an offensive linemen — likely a tackle — after it allowed Tyron Smith to sign with the Jets. The Cowboys also needs a center after starter Tyler Biadasz followed Dan Quinn to Washington. Ideally, Dallas will plug one of those holes before the draft so it can invest in other positions like edge rusher, linebacker, wide receiver and potentially another nose tackle.
There isn’t many starting-level centers left in free agency, but old friend Connor Williams is still available after he tore his ACL in December. Williams’ agent Drew Rosenhaus has revealed the details and timeline of Williams’ recovery and in doing so gave the Cowboys a potential solution to their center predicament.
Cowboys could sign former center Connor Williams before the 2024 season
“So Connor had a, without getting into his private business, it was a significant knee injury,” Rosenhaus said on Miami television station WSVN. “So, he’s taking his time with his rehab. I don’t think his immediate plan is to sign with the Dolphins or any team right now. I think he’s focused on his medical situation — getting healthy — and then see where he stands at that point. So, it’s not going to be any time soon that we see Connor Williams signing with an NFL team.”
That’s not the most uplifting update, but it ‘s been speculated that Williams’ injury could be career-threatening. Rosenhaus makes it seem like the former Cowboy is not only planning on returning to football, but wants to play in 2024. That makes Williams a perfect buy-low target in the dog days of the offseason.
Blogging The Boys Podcast Network and YouTube Channel
We offer two different shows every single weekday on the Blogging The Boys podcast network, and another one on Saturday to start your weekend.
- Monday: 1st and 10 with Tony Catalina and Aidan Davis
- Monday: Press Coverage with Brandon Loree and Jess Nevarez
- Tuesday: The Writer’s Block with David Howman, Brandon Clements and Chris Halling
- Tuesday: Hidden Yardage with Sean Martin and Jess Haynie
- Tuesday: BTB Roundtable with various BTB Staffers
- Wednesday: NFC East Mixtape with RJ Ochoa and Brandon Lee Gowton
- Wednesday: Talkin’ The Star with Connor Livesay and Joey Ickes
- Thursday: The Ocho with RJ Ochoa
- Thursday: Ryled Up with Roy White and Tom Ryle
- Friday: Girls Talkin’ Boys with Kelsey Charles and Meg Murray
- Friday: The Star Seminar with Danny Phantom and Rabblerousr
- Saturday: The World’s Team with Paul Stewart and Mike Poland
The Blogging The Boys podcast network is available on all major podcast platforms.
Subscribe here on Apple devices.
Subscribe here if you are a Spotify user.
Post a Comment