The Cowboys appear to be confident in their group of skill position players, but there are some concerns raised by a prominent media outlet.
The Cowboys’ skill position group, as determined by the rankings of all 32 teams in the league based on running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends, ranked 18th overall in a recent ESPN staff writer Bill Barnwell article.
The loss of running back Tony Pollard in free agency and the release of wide receiver Michael Gallup without a suitable replacement have raised concerns among the Dallas fan base that the team’s offensive performance may regress this season.
With training camp set to begin on July 25, it is reasonable to assume that these skill position players are set for the Cowboys offensive depth chart:
RB: Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, and Deuce Vaughn.
WR: CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy, and KaVontae Turpin.
TE: Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, and Peyton Hendershot.
It is difficult to understand how an offense led by CeeDee Lamb, who set a single-season record for receiving yards (1,749) and receptions (135) in 2023, could be in the bottom half of the league. Jake Ferguson, Prescott’s reliable target last season, finished with 71 receptions for 761 yards and five touchdowns in his second season in the NFL.
The team appears extremely thin around the two of them. Veteran Brandin Cooks struggled this season, totaling just 657 receiving yards. Barnwell observed Cooks’ decline in output.
“Over the last two seasons, there has been a noticeable decline in Brandon Cooks.” Following two seasons in which he averaged over two yards per route run with the Texans, Cooks fell to 1.7 in 2022 and then to just 1.3 in his final season with Dallas.
His saving grace last year was a plus-8.2% catch rate over expectation, which might owe more to Prescott than Cooks, given that Lamb was at plus-10.3% and Jalen Tolbert was also north of 7%.”
Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks both played minimal roles throughout the year, with Michael Gallup being the WR3. With him being overseas, it is believed one of the Jalens would step in his place.
The Cowboys were ranked seventh in 2023 and eleventh in 2022 by Barnwell. It feels like a lot will be expected of QB Dak Prescott this upcoming season, as he is leading one of the less-explosive offenses, at least on paper, that he has played with in his eight seasons in Dallas. Terrell Owens’ feud with Steve Mariucci set the tone for T.O.’s entire career.
The running back room looks the weakest it has appeared in years for the Cowboys. Elliott, Dowdle, and Vaughn are all complementary backs and will be used in a running-back-by-committee approach.
