Five questions for the Dallas Cowboys in 2023

Dallas may have made it to the playoffs in 2022, but yet again could not advance past the Divisional Round after being dominated by the San Francisco 49ers. Now entering this season, there are still questions that surround the Cowboys.

1. Who will be the dependable running back in the squad?

It is going to be very strange not seeing Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield for the Cowboys this season. Let’s be real, he had to be released as he was clearly declining, but while the Cowboys had to move on, it has left a whole in their roster.

So, with Elliott gone, the Cowboys goal is to find a dependable running back. Many would say Tony Pollard and just move on, however with that leg injury he suffered last season, I am not so sure he will be dependable. Heck, he even played with constant ankle injuries as well. While the talent is there for Pollard and Dallas even placed the franchise tag on him, Pollard needs to stay healthy to get a long term deal.

An intriguing selection they made in the 2023 NFL Draft was drafting Deuce Vaughn in the sixth round. He has a lot to prove as a late round selection, but he has a big opportunity to get the starting role.

I will tell you one thing, it won’t be Ronald Jones, having been poor with the Kansas City Chiefs last season. Now I know that  Jones did request his release in Kansas City and maybe a change of scenery will help. However he has struggled since the Buccaneers won Super Bowl 55, Jones has not been the same player.

2. Who will replace Dalton Schultz at Tight End?

Out of all the positions the Cowboys have handled this offseason, I have no idea what the Cowboys are doing at Tight End, having failed to bring Dalton Schultz back for another season and he departed. Looking at the current TE room in Dallas, I am not so sure the Cowboys did their job replacing Dalton Schultz as the tight end.

Jake Fergerson was more of a rotational piece for Dallas and he only had one game last season where he was great. That game was against the Eagles where he had 4 receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown. Peyton Hendershot was okay, but he was not the greatest player last season. They need some help.

The Cowboys drafted Luke Schoonmaker in the second round, which looks a good addition due to the need. However there is one problem, the Cowboys reached. I had Schoonmaker as a fifth round prospect in this class and there were much better options. Dallas better have a good plan here, because I just don’t see it with the current players on the team.

3. Have they done enough to fix their run defense?

On defense, the clear weak point in 2022 was with the run defense. It was not like the Minnesota Vikings last playoffs, but boy was it close. One of the questionable moves they did in free agency was largely ignore fixing the run defense.

The Cowboys waited until the 2023 NFL Draft where they used a first round pick on Mazi Smith. Now, I may have had a second/third round grade on Smith, mainly because he is super raw as a prospect. There is real potential with Smith, but he is going to need time to produce.

The Cowboys are going to want results now to improve their team and make it past the playoffs. Time will tell if they did enough, but it would not shock me if this was an ongoing problem for many more weeks to come.

4. Is Stephon Gilmore the final piece to the Dallas secondary?

I am actually a big fan of Dallas’s defense last season, excluding the run defense. In the secondary though it seems like they really needed one more piece on that secondary. Their safeties are pretty set with Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson.

The one more piece has to be at the cornerback position and look while Trevon Diggs is a great cornerback, especially with how many interceptions he gets, but he struggles in coverage. I believe if he does not have the amount of interceptions he has, Diggs would probably be on the hot seat in the preseason.

Luckily though, that is not the case. Jourdan Lewis is super talented and when healthy is a very big part of that defense. Problem is he suffered a Lisfranc injury in 2022 and missed half of the season. He should be good to go, but it will be intriguing to see if he comes back from the injury. But every good cornerback crew needs 3 pieces (5 in the secondary).

I really thought the last piece was Kelvin Joseph, but he has really disappointed me the past few seasons. Heck I even debated giving him a 1st round draft grade at one point during the hype up of the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Cowboys needed one final piece, so the Cowboys made the move in the trade market to acquire Stephon Gilmore. For a fifth round pick, it is a good risk. Gilmore may have suffered a bit of a decline and is not the same player he was as a Buffalo Bill or with the New England Patriots, but he’s still one of the best in his position. For a team that desperately wants to make it past the second round they really need the acquisition of Gilmore to work out.

5. Do the Cowboys have a reliable kicker?

I have been asking this question since they made the bizarre decision to part ways with Greg Zuerlein. The Cowboys almost had it with Brett Maher during his third tenure with the team, but he collapsed the moment the end of the season hit and it resulted in him losing his job.

The current kicker is Tristen Vizcaino who showed flashes kicking in a handful of games, but he has been a journeyman. I would not say his job is completely safe, even though he is the only kicker on the team. Speaking of which, why have the Cowboys not brought in another kicker to have a competition? Are they waiting for the USFL to conclude? Perhaps, and I’m not so sure the Cowboys special teams issues at kicker are solved.