With all of the additions the Dallas Cowboys made this offseason, there’s a lot to be excited and intrigued about. On offense, the Dallas Cowboys are going to be a lot of fun to watch and could contend to be the best offense in the NFL in 2020.
On defense there’s a lot of upside and the Cowboys need several player to have bounce back seasons or return to form.
For me, here are the most intriguing players to watch heading into 2020.
1. CeeDee Lamb, WR
It’s rare that a wide receiver as talented as CeeDee Lamb finds himself in a situation as good as the one the Cowboys first-round pick lands in. Lamb enters as the third wide receiver in a trio with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup who both averaged more than 15 yards per reception.
Lamb averaged more than 17 yards per reception during his three years at Oklahoma and more than 21 yards per reception in 2019. With Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup drawing attention in the passing game and Ezekiel Elliott and the run game still a focal point for defenses, CeeDee Lamb will see the most favorable coverages he’s seen since he was a freshman at OU.
He’ll fit absolutely perfectly in the Kellen Moore offense that wants to push the football down the field. Lamb can also win in the short and intermediate areas with his route running and athleticism. He’s got really good hands and an impressive catch radius.
Randall Cobb was a loss in free agency, but taking the best wide receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft will do more than replace Cobb in the short and long term.
One of his more underrated traits, that will fit right into the running game, is Lamb’s run blocking ability. He’s a nasty run blocker and takes pride in that skill. Working out of the slot or on the outside, he’ll help spring Ezekiel Elliott to the second level.
2. Blake Jarwin, TE
When Jason Witten returned, the narrative out of The Star in Frisco was that the future Hall of Famer would play around 25 snaps a game. Well, that didn’t last.
In 2019, Witten played fewer than 66% of the offensive snaps in just one game; the week three 31-6 blowout of the Miami Dolphins when Witten played just 51% of the snaps. Now, it wasn’t that Jason Witten was bad in 2019. He posted a respectable stat line, however, he wasn’t the most dynamic tight end they could have played when needing to throw.
That was Blake Jarwin.
Jarwin was a yards after catch machine last year averaging twice as many yards after the catch as his elder. Now with Witten in Las Vegas, Jarwin gets the opportunity to be the Cowboys frontline starter at the position.
In 2019, Jarwin proved to be an effective downfield threat and created yards on shorter routes as well. Like CeeDee Lamb, Jarwin will benefit from coverages that focus their attention elsewhere. He has the speed to run by linebackers and the size and athleticism to outplay safeties for the football.
Now, as he prepares to see a starter’s portion of the snaps, Jarwin will be a big-time weapon in Kellen Moore’s offense.
3. Dak Prescott, QB
2019 was the first act in what will be a trend of 4,000 yard seasons for Dak Prescott.
After finally reaching that and the 30 touchdown benchmark, Prescott seems well on his way to establishing himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Entering his second season with Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator, things couldn’t look better for the Cowboys franchise quarterback.
Dallas hired a head coach that will match Kellen Moore’s aggressiveness and continued to build the offense, which now looks like one of the best in the league (on paper).
The addition of CeeDee Lamb and the promotion of Blake Jarwin make an offense that was one of the best in the NFL in 2019 even more dangerous in Kellen Moore’s vertical passing game.
Prescott, who threw for 4,900 yards, had three receivers average more than 15 yards per reception, and finished in the top five in QBR for 2019, could have an even better season in 2020.
Mike McCarthy has not been shy in his tendency to throw the ball a lot, often passing at a rate of 65%.
Whether they throw it more or the same, the most important aspect is that they have a coach who will encourage Moore and Dak to let it rip.
No longer will the Cowboys fall into the same first and second down run tendencies that became predictable under Jason Garrett.
This is the year Dak Prescott puts it all together.
4. Aldon Smith, EDGE
Back after a five-year absence, Aldon Smith is an intriguing player to watch this season. The biggest question is, how quickly can he reorient himself to the game of football. For someone who has played as much as Aldon Smith has, it shouldn’t take him long to get reacclimated to the game and it sounds like he’s already in incredible shape.
If Aldon Smith can be even half the player he was at the height of his career, that’s still a dynamic pass rusher the Cowboys can deploy opposite of DeMarcus Lawrence. As the Cowboys have expressed a desire to play in multiple fronts, having a player with his experience as a 3-4 edge rusher is very beneficial.
Replacing the departing Robert Quinn’s production is a tall task, but if Aldon Smith can hit the ground running, that will go a long way to finding that secondary pass rush.
5. Jaylon Smith, LB
Speaking of pass rush, 2020 might be Jaylon Smith’s best season yet.
In 2018, Smith had an excellent year building off of his debut season in 2017. He totaled 121 tackles, six tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and four sacks. It’s the sacks that really highlight what Jaylon Smith can bring to the table. He’s an excellent rusher on the blitz.
By all accounts, blitzing is something the Dallas Cowboys want to do more of in 2020 and Jaylon Smith will thrive because of it.
Jaylon Smith is a good player, but when he’s asked to go forward on the blitz or to play the run coming downhill, he’s an excellent player. His speed and athleticism allows him to find holes in the blocking scheme to snake through and find the football.
Earlier this offseason, Mike McCarthy talked about prioritizing the rush and expressed a desire to have five or six rushers, including a designated rusher. This is where Jaylon Smith could really be useful.
If in base packages, the Dallas Cowboys are wanting to send a fifth or sixth rusher, Jaylon Smith needs to be one of the extra rushers. His power allows him to work through the middle of the offensive line, while his athleticism and speed make it difficult for those interior offensive linemen to move laterally with him on the rush.
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Obviously, there are several more players that I could mention like Michael Gallup or Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott or Tony Pollard, and Gerald McCoy or Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. However, none get me as excited as the ones mentioned above.
