Cowboys commit to D in the “Big D”

from 2Ten Sports Magazine May 2023 Issue

Aaron Reﬀ

Dallas Cowboys prioritize defensive additions in the 2023 NFLDraft despite their losses on oﬀense in the oﬀ-season.

Despite losing key veteran free agents from their oﬀense the Dallas Cowboys focused on accentuating their top ranked defense from a year ago.

Quarterback Dak Prescott had a lackluster season with the weapons at his disposal compiling a 23:15TD/Int ratio en route to a 12-5 record last season.To aid Prescott, Dallas spent little time adding explosiveness to their offense acquiring veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks in exchange for their 2023 fifth and 2024 sixth round draft picks from the HoustonTexans. However, the seemingly win on offense came with its share of losses losing former Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliot and trusty tight-end Dalton Schultz.

Many fans hoped that the front office would use the NFLDraft beginning onApril 27, 2023 to add more offensive weapons in response. Especially with the franchise also bolstering their already dominant defense by trading for veteran Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore in exchange for a 5th round draft pick this offseason from the Indianapolis Colts.

The Dallas Cowboys felt an overwhelming need to further solidify their top ranked defense grabbing defensive assets with four of their first six picks.The two on offense being offensive tackleAsim Richards from North Carolina in the fifth round and tight-end Luke Schoonmaker from Michigan on day two of the draft.

The Cowboys opted to wait until the sixth and ﬁnal rounds to address their needs on oﬀense, choosing running back Deuce Vaughn from Kansas State and wide receiver Jalen Brooks from South Carolina in hopes that they can develop into dynamic playmakers for the franchise.

Although released in free agency, one of the Cowboys’hopes is for Ezekiel Elliot to stall out his signing in hopes that the veteran Pro Bowler will return to the team in a “limited role”.The main reason for his release was to elevateTony Pollard to the starting running back position as they just signed him to their franchise tag on March 6, 2023 for one year at $10 million. However, if he opts to sign elsewhere Dallas will be forced to rely heavily upon the 26 year old running back who will be returning from a broken ﬁbula and severe ankle sprain he sustained in January 2023.

All hopes for the Cowboy’s 2023-24 season appear to be banked on the Micah Parsons led defense to be a stand-out in the league once again while Dak does his best with what he has in his arsenal. Outside of adding Brandin Cooks into the fold to join wideout CeeDee Lamb, the franchise did add three new oﬀensive linemen (two via free agency) to aid Dak who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

Here are the selections the Dallas Cowboys made in the 2023 NFLDraft: