Dallas had a solid offseason, but they should have done some things differently. If you were to ask your friends, you would get different answers to that question. There are so many things that the Cowboys struggle with this year and nobody expected that since they ended the last season with a 13-3 score.
When Anthony Hitchens got hurt, the Cowboys should have found the replacement. However, they decided to do nothing and let Jaylon Smith and Justin Durant fill the holes on defense. In the first game that appeared to have been an excellent solution to the problem, but when they faced a much better offensive team – the Denver Broncos – Dallas showed its weaknesses.
Unexpectedly, Sean Lee also got hurt, and the Rams and Packers used that to beat the Cowboys. With Lee sidelined, the linebackers looked unprofessional and confused. If they hired someone to fill the void, perhaps the Cowboys would have been a 3-2 or a 4-1 instead of a 2-3 team.
The other possibility for the franchise was to resign safety Barry Church. However, they let him walk in the free agency, significantly weakening the secondary line. Having a veteran presence among rookies, who are young and inexperienced would have changed the things on the team.
And what about Terrell McClain? He was one of the best defensive players for the America’s Team, and he was finally cleared of injuries. He contributed to the squad significantly and together with Maliek Collins, they really disrupted offenses of their rivals. Add David Irving and DeMarcus Lawrence to the mix, and you would have one of the best defensive lines in the league.
Meanwhile, Taco Charlton turned out to be a complete bust as people have predicted, whereas the money spent on Nolan Carroll’s contract has been wasted and it could have been offered to another player. As the time passes, Chidobe Awuzie and Xavier Woods are expected to replace Jeff Heath at the safety position. For example, the front office could have used the money spent on Carroll and offer it to TJ Ward, which would buy them more time to phase in the rookies.
As you can see, the defense is the issue. These mistakes, which are visible now, can be costly to the Cowboys in the second part of the season, as they have been in the first.
