2014 (Dallas Cowboys) Offseason Preview
Notable Free Agents
K- Dan Bailey
LB- Ernie Sims
DE- Anthony Spencer
2014 Draft Picks
Round 1 Pick 17
Round 2 Pick 47
Round 3 Pick 78
Round 4 Pick 115
Round 5 Pick 146
Round 7 Pick 206
Round 7 Pick 208
Round 7 Pick 215
Top Draft Options - Calvin Pryor, FS, Louisville (Mid 1st/Early 2nd) - Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri (Mid to Late 1st) - Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt (2nd/3rd round) - Kareem Martin, DE, North Carolina (3rd/4th round) - Trey Millard, FB, Oklahoma (7th round)
Biggest Offseason Needs
Safety: They’ve needed help at safety for a while and with the league becoming more and more a passing league it’s something that should really be addressed.
Wide Receiver: I think they need another outside receiver across from Dez Bryant. Miles Austin is always hurt and their other guys are a lot more useful in the slot.
D-Line: Their front seven isn’t getting younger, they need some young fresh talent to help get after the passer.
One Player Dallas Should Target
WR- Jeremy Maclin, By picking up Maclin you take care of one of your needs and hurt a division rival by taking one of their stars.
One Player Dallas Must Retain
K- Dan Bailey, He is one of the most consistent kickers in the NFL, keeping him is a must.
Players In Need Of Extensions
DeMarco Murray - He made his first pro bowl and ran for a 1,000 yards this season, “Pay Dat Man”.
Dwayne Harris - He is a player that can contribute on offense and special teams
Dez Bryant - ………...enough said.
Bruce Carter - He’s improved each year and he had good production this year totaling 96 tackles in 15 games played.
Overall Offseason Outlook
The Cowboys are a good team, they are a talented team. In my opinion they are the most talented team in the NFC East.
The issue is that their star players from the past couple years are reaching the end of their playing careers. We’ve probably seen the best of guys like Miles Austin, Demarcus Ware, and Jason Witten. Not to mention the love hate relationship the fans have with quarterback Tony Romo.
This offseason they should look into rebuilding while staying competitive. The goal of this offseason should be to find young padawan’s for the aging stars on the roster. The team needs to be prepared for the departures of players they have relied on for past five plus years.
At receiver I think the need is more immediate because Austin hasn’t been healthy for the past few seasons. They also should look at moving Dez Bryant around on the field. In the games I’ve watched he’s usually on one side the whole game and they rarely send him in motion.
He would be way more dangerous if the opposing corners didn’t always know where he was. They should also look into drafting some defensive ends to replace Ware and Anthony Spencer (if they can’t resign him).