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Cowboys – Offseason Moves Telling of What to Expect

By Ryan Ratty

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After signing both Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain and filling needs in the process, the Dallas Cowboys made it clear what their plan is in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Coming into the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys had four major needs on their team. Even though they were Super Bowl contenders in 2014, these four needs needed to be filled before the 2015 season began. Those four names were the running back position, the defensive end position, a linebacker position, and the cornerback position. Even with their limited cap space, the Cowboys did a decent job of addressing two of these needs.

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The Cowboys’ pass rush was ultimately their achilles heel in 2014. Granted, there was reason for excitement out of the group for 2015, as

Tyrone Crawford

would be in his contract year,

Jeremy Mincey

would get even more comfortable in Dallas, and DeMarcus Lawrence would have another offseason under his belt. However, the Cowboys lacked that superstar. In free agency, they got that superstar, as Greg Hardy signed with the Cowboys on a one-year incentive-laden deal. Although a suspension is looming for Hardy, the Cowboys will still have him for the playoffs and that will be huge for the defense.

Before Rolando McClaln re-signed, there was a thought that the Cowboys would go linebacker in the first round of the draft. Eric Kendricks was a player that stuck out, but after re-signing McClain, the Cowboys addressed their linebacker problems. Bruce Carter and Justin Durant went elsewhere in free agency, but Anthony Hitchens is progressing, and star linebacker Sean Lee is coming back as well. With McClain coming back, he will likely man the MIKE linebacker position. Lee would then man the WILL linebacker position and Hitchens would man the SAM linebacker position.

With two of the four needs filled, the Cowboys could go either running back or cornerback in the first round of the draft. Four players that make sense are Todd Gurley, Marcus Peters, Tevin Coleman, and Kevin Johnson. These players would all fit extremely well, as they would all fit in the Cowboys’ schemes. Even with the signing of Darren McFadden, I still expect the Cowboys to go running back early in the draft, as Todd Archer of ESPN Dallas reported the news as well.

"Running back will be in the mix in the first two rounds if not the first three. They need defensive help at every level at this point, so you’ll see them look heavy at defense, but they need a runner too. At least at this point they do. Heck, I wouldn’t rule out another offensive lineman either."

As of now, my first two picks for the Cowboys are Johnson in the first and Coleman in the second. I’m a huge fan of the Cowboys drafting Gurley, but the likelihood of him being available when the Cowboys are on the clock with the 27th pick is extremely slim. Regardless, the Cowboys have done a smart job this offseason of addressing needs, and although they have lost key players in DeMarco Murray, Durant, and Carter, the Cowboys have done a fair job, as of now, at addressing their pre-offseason needs.

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