When it comes to the Dallas Cowboys, it feels like something always gets in their way of capturing the end goal.
Despite all the injuries and question marks at various positions, the team still won 12 games for the second straight season.
As we inch closer to the 2023 season, the NFL draft is over, the schedule has been released, and Dallas made three of the weaknesses from last season better. Not only improved them, but they have a chance to be a strength this year.
RUN DEFENSE
As we all know, even with the Cowboys having one of the best defenses in football a season ago, the biggest problem was stopping the run.
Believe it or not, they did everything correctly this offseason, trying to improve it.
The resigned Johnathon Hankins to a one-year deal in March. The defensive tackle doesn’t fill up the box score, but when Dallas traded for him, he brought exactly what was needed. A big body to plug up some running lanes.
Stephen Jones says defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is already talking about using Mazi Smith and Johnathan Hankins together: “That’ll be a big deterrent to guys running off tackle.”
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) April 28, 2023
Although it wasn’t the sexiest draft pick, Dallas selected defensive tackle Mazi Smith from the University of Michigan with their first-round pick.
The value of Smith is going to be noticed right away. When you look at the box score, you aren’t going to see two or three sacks, but if you watch the game, you will see the difference he makes.
Along with Hankins, and with Parsons moving to the defensive end full-time, the run defense might surprise some folks.
Wide Receiver
This team was banking on Noah Brown and Dennis Houston for week one a year ago.
Did anyone think that was going to work?
It got so bad near the middle-end of the year they had to trade for an aging T.Y Hilton, who immediately became their second-best option.
Trading for Brandin Cooks was an awesome move. If it were any other team outside of the Cowboys, the media would have said how great he and CeeDee Lamb would be together.
“His natural born leadership, there’s a couple guys I’ve been around that can lead a team and the way he’s doing it, to be this young, it’s unbelievable” – WR Brandin Cooks talking about Dak Prescott & his leadership qualities.#DallasCowboys
— Tony Catalina (@Tony_Catalina) May 4, 2023
Cooks has produced at an enormous clip everywhere he has been. He is a walking 1,000-yard receiver.
With trading for Cooks and getting an entire offseason of Michael Gallup, the Cowboys now have one of the best trio of wideouts in football.
What was a MAJOR weakness at this time last year is now a strength for this team.
Cornerback
This is likely the next weakness last season that has the chance to be resolved in 2023.
Right before trading for Cooks, they did the same thing for former defensive player of the year, Stephon Gilmore.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs on working with veteran CB Stephon Gilmore: “I want to learn how to take my game to the next level.”
Cowboys notebook: https://t.co/0X7VN1jdVY pic.twitter.com/SmgCXeeyXj
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 4, 2023
Sure, he won that award four years ago, but to add someone like him on the other side of Trevon Diggs is massive.
Anthony Brown wasn’t the greatest corner, but did we see how bad they got when he got hurt? Teams continued to attack the other side of the field, and Dallas didn’t have an answer for it at times.
DaRon Bland and others will benefit from being able to line up with the opposing team 3rd best wide receiver.
For the first in a long time, the Cowboys did everything they needed to do this offseason to give themselves a chance to win the Super Bowl.
For a team that won a playoff game a year ago, they got better where they needed to, and although they still have a lot to prove, they have a chance to do great things.
