NFL Players, Teams Facing Biggest 2018 Expectations | SI.com
From MMQB - parts about dallas below:
4. We’re going to have more on the Cowboys in a bit, but this pretty amazing fact was passed along to me: There are now only three 30-somethings on Dallas’ roster, and two of them (kicker Dan Bailey and long snapper L.P. Ladouceur) are specialists. The third? Linebacker Sean Lee, who turns 32 in July.
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COWBOYS THINK DAK COULD BE BETTER WITHOUT DEZ. I’ve heard a lot of people bemoan how Dallas is sending Dak Prescott up a creek without Dez Bryant, and so it’s been interesting to hear that the buzz coming out of that building reflects the opposite. There’s a belief that this could unlock Prescott’s strength, which is to play the position like a point guard does—seeing the field, and throwing to the open guy, unburdened by the feeling of having to keep Bryant engaged.
It was, of course, one thing when Bryant was drawing coverage away from other receivers. By the end of last year, that wasn’t happening anymore, compounding the problem. Now the idea is that Prescott will be able to play the position more efficiently, with a more balanced group that, admittedly, doesn’t have a weapon that will make a defensive coordinator stay up on Saturday night. Cole Beasley had his problems last year, but his work in the spring has the team optimistic about a rebound season. Free-agent additions Deonte Thompson and Allen Hurns complement each other well—the former’s speed playing off the latter’s size. Big, raw Noah Brown is back for his second year. And veteran Terrance Williams will be in the mix when he’s healthy (he’s also dealing with a DUI case).
The best group in the NFL this is not, and tight end is in even more flux than the receiver spot. But again, if the Cowboys are asking Prescott to be more distributor than anything else, with a strong run game and improved defense as the team’s foundation, he’s shown he’s capable. In fact, in the three games he’s played without Bryant—in his fourth, fifth and sixth starts as a pro—he was just fine. The team went 3-0 over that stretch, and Prescott completed 59 of 83 passes for 719 yards, six touchdowns and one pick. In those games, by the way, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 429 yards and three touchdowns on 66 carries (6.5 average) and caught seven passes for 73 yards. So there’s no question that the face of the Dallas offense, with Bryant and Jason Witten gone, is changing. But so long as the offensive line stays healthy, change here might not be all bad.
