Versatile players give the Dallas Cowboys a major edge in 2023

The Dallas Cowboys love them some position flex. The ability to play multiple positions at a high level has long been a desired trait for the Cowboys’ front office. It helps them build out rosters and is valued,, at not only the lower ranks, but also the starting ranks.

The Dallas Cowboys obsession with versatile players has nearly grown into a punch line. Much like the words “due diligence” and “pie” it’s used somewhat mockingly to speak of Stephen Jones (the Cowboys unofficial day-to-day GM).

The Dallas Cowboys have embraced position flex for years and now have a roster so versatile it gives them an advantage over the competition.

While the Cowboys’ handling of free agency and contract negotiations deserve the utmost scrutiny, the collection of versatile players deserve an equal proportion of praise. It adds value to all levels of the depth chart and makes Dallas more resilient to the inevitable injury (or five).

Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line

The most obvious area of the team where Dallas has position flex is the O-line. The Dallas Cowboys have been experimenting with different combinations since last season and seem determined to continue that throughout training camp.

They aren’t interested in the obvious choice today. They want to see if they can find a better solution and test their contingency plans before a mid-season injury even occurs.

Dallas Cowboys Defensive Line

The Dallas Cowboys have been doing this since forever. They love reducing DEs inside on nickel downs and have recently started drafting base DEs for the purpose of moving them to 3-tech DT full-time (The Tyrone Crawford blueprint).

While some of their D-linemen are resigned to play just 1-tech or just EDGE, a significant chunk can bounce between 3-tech and DE.

Dallas Cowboys Secondary

The Dallas Cowboys have almost written the book on coverage versatility here. They’ve long used nickel CBs as boundary CBs when needed (a cost effective way to pay CBs) and now have started using safeties and CBs as mix-and-match options in the box.

They used SAF Israel Mukuamu as a nickel CB last season and now are trying CB Kelvin Joseph as a box coverage player as well.  The gray area between LB and SAF has also blurred with both positions sharing the bulk of responsibilities.

Dallas Cowboys Backfield

Even the backfield appears to have position flex. Both Tony Pollard and Deuce Vaughn can play RB or motion out and take snaps out of the slot. And now Hunter Luepke is joining the mix as a FB with RB ability and H-back traits (see story directly below).

Some fans are concerns that by practicing and playing multiple positions it means the player has no real position. While the phase “jack of all trades, master of none” holds truth, it’s doesn’t justify not using versatile and capable players to their fullest.

The idea is if the Dallas Cowboys can practice them enough at position they are capable of playing, the fall-off won’t be as significant when injury forces them to do it in the middle of the season. It may also unlock a hidden combination they didn’t see before.

Where they gain a roster-building edge is deep down the depth chart. With only 53 stable roster spots, having a handful of depth players serving as the top replacement to multiple positions is invaluable and gives Dallas an edge.

Who’s your favorite versatile player and why is his position flex so valuable?

• Published on 06/21/2023 at 11:01 AM
• Last updated at 06/21/2023 at 11:01 AM