After four games this season, evaluating the Cowboys’ most worrying position groupings
Many people were curious about how the Dallas Cowboys’ position groupings would seem at the start of the new season following yet another round of roster upheaval. The fact that the squad has already lost several important defensive players to season-ending injuries only serves to exacerbate the situation. Due to injuries, nearly every offensive line starter has lost time, and it’s possible that the club is running its new lead-dog into the ground.
Now that four games have been completed, let’s examine and evaluate the performance of four of the team’s most problematic position groupings.
Maintain Tony Pollard’s pitch count.
It was somewhat unexpected to see how extensively Tony Pollard was used by the Cowboys to begin the season, even though we all knew they would give him a bigger role with Ezekiel Elliott out of the lineup. Only once in his first four years in the NFL (against Green Bay during Zeke’s absence last season) did Pollard surpass 20 carries. He has now played in three weeks of the current season with 25 and 23 carries.
Just 11 rushes were made by Pollard last week. Because more Pollard should have been available due to the game script and Rico Dowdle’s early departure, the Cowboys seem to have reevaluated their use intentions with him. Instead, the club found other methods to augment the rushing game (WR runs, WR bubble screens), and employed Deuce Vaughn more than it had all season.
With any luck, Dowdle’s hip ailment won’t keep him sidelined for too long. It’s difficult to trust his availability given his long series of ailments, some of which date back to his undergraduate days. If he is not to be trusted, it is time to contact Malik Davis. In either case, the Cowboys need to try real hard to keep Pollard’s juice in check. His current effectiveness is about 4.3 yards per
On the offensive line, they are skilled and knowledgeable.
For the Cowboys, the offensive line is always a strange experience since we never really know what to expect from one day to the next. Following his season-ending knee injury last year, Terence Steele’s health was the team’s biggest concern heading into the new campaign. He has been in satisfactory health. But who isn’t, you ask? Everyone else.
Yes, it is correct. Throughout the first four games, all four of the other starters have missed time. To begin with, Tyler Smith was the only one recuperating from a hamstring strain he sustained just prior to the season. Then, as soon as he was cleared to play again, rumors started to spread that Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, and Tyler Biadasz (hamstring, calf), among others, had injuries. They didn’t play versus Arizona, all three of them.
Chuma Edoga, a free agency signing, has been counted on to fill in the void as a result, starting each of the four games, initially at left guard and most recently at left tackle. He performed admirably in prior situations but struggled against Arizona. Even though it would be tempting to want Tyler Smith to rush outside to guard Dak Prescott’s blind spot, Edoga appears to be handling things very well. Given that the coaching staff has demonstrated their expertise at the offensive line, why do we still doubt them?
