Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys have some difficult roster decisions to make. Several positions consist of battles where there is not much separating the players fighting for that spot. It should be interesting to see how this unfolds, but before that happens, let’s run through each of them and make sure we have a grasp on all the factors that will go into making these decisions.
Whomever wins the final running back spot is going to be relegated to RB3 behind Javonte Williams and Jaydon Blue. They’d essentially be an insurance policy that would be asked to contribute on special teams. Do they want Miles Sanders to be that guy? Sanders has played five special teams reps total over the last five years. That’s not his forte. He’s also 28 years old and is three years removed from his Pro Bowl season, where he ran behind a stout Eagles offensive line. He was invisible in Carolina, where he averaged just 3.5 yards per carry. They have to ask themselves, what are they really getting with Sanders?
Phil Mafah, on the other hand, is a younger back who was underdrafted because of a shoulder injury and being caught up in a deep running back draft class. He offers the team a physical presence with pass-catching ability. In fact, he’s the closest thing they have to mirroring their RB1, Williams, should he go down. Retaining Mafah over Sanders keeps the Cowboys’ smash-and-dash running dynamic in place. And finally, the rookie provides the team with four years of low-cost player control, compared to just one year of Sanders. This seems like an easy call.
The Cowboys are deep along the offensive line. You’d have to go back a ways to find a unit this good on the back end. Every backup they have is decent enough that it wouldn’t create a scare if they were thrown into action. The team also has a couple of third-string players who are worth keeping. The players on the fringe are veteran Saahdiq Charles, former fifth-round pick Asim Richards, and this year’s seventh-round pick Ajani Cornelius. If you’re playing for this year only, the veteran Charles makes the most sense, but that’s not how they should look at it. Considering they already have so much reliable depth, it would make more sense to roll the dice on a younger player who offers upside. The rookie Cornelius has flashed some solid play and has the potential to be a key piece down the road. And when you consider many of the depth pieces aren’t under team control past the upcoming season, keeping someone who is might be the smart way to go.
It’s really a coin flip between Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy for the last wide receiver spot. Both are late-round draft picks by the Cowboys, and both possess traits that the coaching staff values. So,...
