Image Credit: (Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports)
Written by: Nicholas Mullick Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-mullick-354076184/
Twitter: @nicholasmullick
With Training Camp about to start for the NFL in a few weeks, there are questions that follow each team. Like I did with the Cardinals, I will be doing the Top 5 Biggest questions for every team heading into Training Camp. Next up is the Dallas Cowboys who have the 24th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. But there are still questions that remain with this team.
1. Who will be the number 3 receiver on this offense?
With Amari Cooper being traded for next to nothing of course CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup will get promoted to being the number 1 and 2 receiver for the Cowboys. But who will be next up as the number 3 receiver? Let's be real James Washington was not utilized well in Pittsburgh. It's weird today as the Steelers are known to develop receivers. But Ben Roethlisberger clearly did not like Washington and even constantly criticized him publicly many times. Yes in 2021 it seems they made up as Ben praised Washington as he had the “Heart and Desire’’, but it was too late. I think he should be utilized more properly in Dallas. Jalen Tolbert the Cowboys drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft and hopefully, he can develop fast to be the answer. Noah Brown is a sleeper to take the job as he impressed me moments last season, go back and look at their game against the Raiders last season, he made some solid plays. But he needs a strong camp. But besides that, the Cowboys don’t have a lot of depth at receiver and hopefully, the Cowboys can figure out who will be the number 3 receiver.
2. Will there be a resolution to the Dalton Schultz contract negotiations?
This is more of a long-term question, but it has to be asked as it could cause problems for the Cowboys. Dalton Schultz at the beginning of his career was looking like a player who was going to be out of the league. But then his 3rd season came and he became a productive part of this offense. Last season he had a career year with 78 catches, 808 yards, and 8 touchdowns. With his contract expiring the Cowboys had no choice but to franchise tag him. But of course, this has led to Dalton Shultz wanting to get another long-term contract. However, it looks like there has been no progress regarding a contract extension. This is crazy as the Cowboys according to Spotrac have 20.3 million dollars in salary cap, so they could be able to get a deal done. I am guessing they want to see how he performs again next season. This could potentially be a distraction, but luckily for them, it looks like Schultz is not going to hold out for a new deal. This should get resolved contract-wise as keep in mind Schultz has a lot of support from Dak Prescott. It will be interesting to see where this goes and if they will have a solution in contract negotiations.
3. Do the Cowboys really have a backup plan for Tyron Smith?
Tyron Smith has been one of the most talented offensive linemen I have ever seen play in the NFL. He has been a tremendous part of protecting any quarterback that plays for the Cowboys. However there has been a major problem with Tyron Smith, he can’t stay healthy. In fact, Smith has not had a healthy season since 2015. Smith being injured heavily downgrades this entire offense as without him the offense is just a mess. Dak gets more pressured and the run game struggles a lot. I was thinking that is why they drafted Tyler Smith in the 1st round, but it looks like they are going to try him out at guard. Maybe they are hoping Matt Waletzko can develop quickly. But I am not sure if the Cowboys really have a plan if Tyron Smith gets hurt again.
4. Who will be the guy that replaces Randy Gregory on defense?
It was super surprising during Free Agency when I heard Randy Gregory decided to sign with the Broncos. I thought that the Cowboys had lowballed him in contract negotiations and still kind of do. But maybe the reporters jumped the gun on Gregory signing with Dallas. So the Cowboys need to find a replacement for him. The Cowboys signed Dante Fowler to a 1-year deal but did not look great during his time in Atlanta. Tarell Basham has been a dependable player but has not been a consistent player. Last season Dorance Armstrong had a career year with 37 tackles and 5 sacks. If he can continue to impress then Armstrong can get the starting role. The Cowboys drafted Sam Williams in the second round and if he develops quickly he can take the role. This will be a positional battle to watch for Dallas and we will see who will step up and get the role.
5. Will Mike McCarthy last the season as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys?
We can all agree, even some Cowboys fans, that this team is once again being held back due to bad coaching. In fact, the Cowboys have not had a great coach since Jimmy Johnson. I mean maybe you can say Bill Parcels as coach from 2003-2006, but he was up and down during his time in Dallas. Has Not changed yet as McCarthy has not learned from his mistakes in Green Bay, in fact, he has kind of doubled downed on his mistakes. If the Cowboys disappoint again, it would not shock me if McCarthy is no longer the head coach. In fact, I am not confident that he will last the season if this team heavily disappoints and gets eliminated early in the season. I wish McCarthy luck as he needs this team to impress in order to save his job.