The Dallas Cowboys took care of business in the NFL Draft this year. Argue with the specific selections all you want, but as far as addressing needs, the Cowboys got things done.
The need-driven approach was a departure from the typical “opportunist” role they’ve taken the past few seasons. Dallas entered the draft with a plan: draft offensive line in round one, draft Dan Quinn’s favorite EDGE in round two, and draft receiver in round three. And by golly, they stuck to that plan come hell or high water.
The results of which covered them on all their major needs. In addition to the big three we just listed, they also added to the depth at offensive tackle, linebacker, special teams, cornerback, and even 1-tech defensive tackle. Looking at the prominent names of players signed as undrafted free agents, they also added competition to center, kicker, and various other spots.
There’s still one position, one specific role, the Dallas Cowboys have yet to address this offseason… speed.
WR speed is something the Dallas Cowboys have needed since they decided to let Amari Cooper go. Not that Coop is a blazer or anything, but of the top wideouts in Dallas, he was the only one with sub 4.5 speed.
Technically the Dallas Cowboys third round choice, Jalen Tolbert, scratches that itch since he’s been clocked at 4.49. And as one of the best deep ball prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft class, he’s certainly filling an important role on Kellen Moore’s offense. But speed is more than some arbitrary threshold. It’s also more than just getting over the top.
Speed is about striking fear in the defense. It’s about stretching the defense. It’s about creating space for others and opening up the field. Speed is the missing element in the Dallas Cowboys offense and has been for quite some time.
Last season opponents caved in on the Dallas Cowboys offense. They shrunk the field and the Cowboys couldn’t do a darn thing to stop it. Dallas’ porous offensive line couldn’t even hold up against four-man fronts. This allowed defenses to create instant pressure on the Cowboys’ hobbled passer (Dak Prescott’s calf injury was more significant than they admitted) and keep seven others back in coverage.
Defenses took away Moore’s deep routes and forced the Cowboys pass-catchers to navigate in the low-to-intermediate areas in the thick of the coverage. Defenses shrunk the field and crashed down on every play, reducing Dallas to an unhealthy amount of TE dump-offs and WR screens.
If the Cowboys had a speed guy, a legit speed guy, they would open that umbrella up. The shells would drop back further, opening more space and opportunity in the rest of the field. It’s not all vertical impact either.
Sideline to sideline movement would also open up opportunities. A speed player at WR could do things the Cowboys planned for Tavon Austin back in the day. If you’ll remember, Austin was brought in to be a web back for Dallas. He was supposed to stretch defenses laterally to give other playmakers more space to operate.
Alas that never came to be. Austin struggled with injury and the Cowboys struggled to use him in the ways they wanted. But keep in mind, he was supposed to play a prominent role on the Dallas Cowboys offense. Austin was brought in to get 12-24 TOUCHES (!!!) per game and open this offense up. The Cowboys have long seen the need but they have struggled to fill the need nonetheless.
There are workaround solutions obviously. Teams can use pre-snap and at-the-snap motion to spread defenses out. The 49ers are one of the most prominent teams in this style of attack. They keep defenses chasing ghosts and manifest space for playmakers to operate.
For whatever reason, Dallas has been pretty steadfast in their hatred for motion at the snap over the years. They’ve consistently ranked in or around the bottom-5 each year in motion at the snap rate. Despite numbers indicating it adds value to most plays, Dallas has preferred a more transparent approach.
As you can imagine, the lack of offensive speed combined with lack of horizonal movement at the snap isn’t a great combination. And we wonder why defenses are closing in on the Cowboys offense as of late…
The Dallas Cowboys have three WRs who seem extremely capable of making deep plays on the ball, don’t get the message twisted. Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb and the rookie Tolbert all have a special knack for big plays. But they don’t have field-stretching speed.
If the Dallas Cowboys could add just one more thing to their offense, it’s adding a proven speed player at WR. Someone who can step on the field and make defenses adjust. Someone to stretch the field horizontally and vertically. That’s what this offense still needs.