Blogging The Boys
The 2015 season was an utter disaster for the Dallas Cowboys. After his Week 1 heroics, Tony Romo went down the following week against the Philadelphia Eagles with a broken collarbone for the second time in his career. Then came the fun carousel of Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel, and Kellen Moore. Things went so well in 2014; how could they go so wrong just a year later? Many were left wondering what the Cowboys’ future would look like.
Ezekiel Elliott brought the juice and rejuvenated the running game in Dallas in a way that wasn’t seen since the days of Emmitt Smith. The offense was shepherded by a compensatory fourth-round pick; a dart throw at quarterback in Dak Prescott. The rookie was as efficient as can be, and his infectious leadership connected with the entire locker room. The Cowboys went from the basement to the best record in the NFC overnight.
A decade later, the franchise hopes the 2026 draft class can have a similar impact. The team needs them to.
Heading into the 2016 season, the window for the franchise to compete for a championship with Romo and Witten leading the team was closing. That’s why Elliott was selected over Jalen Ramsey—to give the quarterback a running game unlike anything he had prior to that point in his career.
While Dallas didn’t take a skill player with their first, first-round pick (even though Jordyn Tyson was heavily rumored), one could argue that the team trading up for Caleb Downs should have a similar impact. After Emmitt Smith finished his career in Dallas, fans were waiting for the team to find the next guy. When Darren Woodson left the Cowboys, he was never truly replaced. That might have changed when the team picked Downs.
The former Ohio State safety was graded by some as the best player in the draft, and while Dallas could certainly have gone in a different direction based on positional value, they went with the player they felt could impact the team right away, not only on the field but as a leader in the locker room.
Pairing Downs with defensive coordinator Christian Parker, in theory, will change the defense overnight in a way that Elliott changed the offense almost immediately. While the rookie curve is a real thing, Downs’ football intelligence hints he could be the exception to the rule.
Elliott and Prescott weren’t the only contributors from their draft class, and Downs won’t be the only one with high expectations either. Malachi Lawrence, who was selected with Dallas’ second first-round pick, should help elevate the pass rush immediately. The Cowboys lacked a true pass rusher last year after trading away Micah Parsons. The trio of Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and Lawrence should help.
The former UCF product had 27.5 sacks in the final three years at college, 11 of them coming as a senior. Lawrence was someone whom Christian Parker targeted as an integral part of his defense.
Defensive...
