The Dallas Cowboys have overhauled their defense after it was one of the worst units in the NFL last season, and it’s brought plenty of opportunity to those remaining on the roster. One of those players is Shemar James, who got plenty of playing time and tackles during his rookie season but struggled in coverage and reading opposing offenses.
With Kenneth Murray and Logan Wilson departing Dallas, James appears to have another golden opportunity under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. But that chance could be short-lived as the Cowboys could wind up adding another linebacker, which gives James plenty to lose in this month’s draft.
Cowboys Draft Could Flip Shemar James Breakout Plans Upside Down
The Cowboys' depth chart has James in a great place heading into the offseason program. According to Ourlads, James is the only player at the right inside linebacker spot, with DeMarvion Overshown and Justin Barron listed at the left inside linebacker spot. With the Cowboys shifting to a 3-4 alignment under Parker, this puts James in the pole position to start, but there are strong hints that Dallas could be adding another linebacker in the draft.
Speaking at last week’s owners’ meetings in Phoenix, head coach Brian Schottenheimer stated that the Cowboys attempted to make a signing at linebacker but were spurned by Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, two former college teammates at Georgia who decided to reunite with the Las Vegas Raiders. If either player signed, it would likely be for a starting role, and Schottenheimer’s comments hinted that both linebackers walked away from a lot of money to go play in Vegas.
“Hey, we were trying,” Schottenheimer said via SI’s Josh Sanchez. “And if they don’t take the money, they don’t take the money. I felt like the offers we made were very, very fair. They were big numbers. We were very competitive. It’s hard to compete with a couple of former teammates that wanted to go play together, and there’s different reasons about why you lose these guys. But we were very competitive in those deals. But that’s the business… We’re far from being done.”
The Cowboys may not have a lot of great free-agent options remaining, with Bobby Okereke, Bobby Wagner, and Matt Milano all over the age of 30. But they can go into the draft and find depth and possibly an upgrade over James.
James had a solid rookie year statistically with 91 total tackles, two tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. He also showed plenty of resiliency, not making his NFL debut until Week 4, taking a backseat when Overshown returned from a multiligament knee injury and re-emerging as a starter at the end of the season. But he was a disaster in coverage, allowing 35 of his 37 to be completed for 332 yards and three touchdowns without a pass breakup per Pro Football Focus.
The Cowboys give James a chance to develop his coverage skills under Parker. But fifth-round picks normally don’t get that long of a leash. While James had high spots, his lows are also something that teams aren’t willing to tolerate, which could leave Dallas looking for competition in the draft.
Ohio State teammates Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles are both expected to be gone by the time the Cowboys are on the clock with the 12th overall pick. While they don’t have a second-round pick as part of the Quinnen Williams trade at last year’s deadline, they also could trade down from their second first-round selection (20th overall) and have a shot at Georgia’s C.J. Allen, Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, Texas’s Anthony Hill Jr., or Cincinnati’s Jake Golday.
While Dallas’s next pick without a trade down is at No. 92 overall, they could also move up with three fifth-round picks at their disposal and choose one of nine players listed in the top 100 of NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board.
With limited linebackers on the roster, the Cowboys can’t afford to mess around with this. It also means that whether they’re high on James or not, competition will be coming either through a late free agent signing or the draft. It gives James plenty to lose when Dallas is on the clock and could turn an ideal situation into another mountain to climb this offseason.