7 Dallas Cowboys players who could lose their starter roles and roster spots before the 2024 NFL Draft – Mauricio Rodriguez, AtoZ Sports
Next month's draft could decide the future of many players in Dallas.
The NFL Draft is always an exciting time for fans, as expectations tend to build as fresh faces join teams.
But for current players, it can be stressful because it means they welcome direct competition for a spot in the starting lineup and possibly a spot on the 53-man roster.
Below are the seven players the Dallas Cowboys could lose the most in the 2024 draft, depending on which pick the front office makes.
1. LB Damone Clark
The Cowboys have some of the top linebackers in their class, including Edgerrin Cooper (Texas A&M), Peyton Wilson (North Carolina State University), and Junior Colson (Michigan State), so they will have a linebacker on the second day of the draft. They seem interested in adding backers. Top 30 visits.
At this point, Clark is projected to be a starter along with Eric Kendricks, the only outside free agent the Cowboys have acquired thus far. DeMarvion Overshorn's return from injury could put Clark's starting role at linebacker in serious jeopardy heading into 2024.
High/Low: Odds that the Cowboys will draft a running back in 2024 – Patrick Walker, Dallas Cowboys.com
With Tony Pollard gone, the running back position has moved up the Cowboys' draft board.
After a humiliating playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers in January, the Dallas Cowboys have vowed to “go all in” this offseason, something that has been teased for months. The reality is, no matter how you define it, organizations are tasked with the job given to them in the 2024 NFL Draft.
That's especially true at the running back position, seeing as Tony Pollard left to join the Tennessee Titans in free agency just one season after the Cowboys parted ways with Ezekiel Elliott. With question marks hanging over the running back room, what are the odds that Dallas' front office will select a running back in late April given the level of talent available?
In our new series, “High Low,” we'll be digging deeper into this, with each edition focusing on a different position group heading into draft week.
2024 NFL Draft: Top 20 potential teams – Matt Bowen, ESPN
Speaking of drafting running backs, ESPN is naming the best players in the draft.
R.B. Jonathan Brooks to cowboys
height: 6 feet | weight: 216
College: texas
Where Dallas can get him: Pick No.56
With Tony Pollard a free agent, the Cowboys are without a top running back on their roster. They could adjust positions with Brooks, who will likely join the second-day lineup after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in November. With a professional frame, Brooks is a smooth and sudden runner with a second-level elusiveness that shakes up defenders and the ability to shift gears in space.
Brooks avoided 30 tackles and had 25 receptions last season at Texas, and has the dual-threat advantage of being utilized more as a receiver at the next level. Dallas could pair Brooks with a downhill hammer to give coach Mike McCarthy a versatile backfield.
Dallas Cowboys' draft needs: WR could be under watch even if needs exist elsewhere – Michael Gehlken, Dallas Morning News
The Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks, but they don't have a concrete player behind them, so they'll have to focus on wide receiver.
Through the first six weeks of last season, CeeDee Lamb only caught double-digit passes in a game once.
The Cowboys then readjusted their passing game. Adjustments include implementing the pre-snap motion popularized by the Miami Dolphins and recalibrating how targets are distributed. Lamb returned from a bye in Week 7 and set season highs with 12 catches, 158 yards, and two touchdowns in a win over the Los Angeles Rams.
he didn't look back.
Lamb finished 2023 with double-digit receptions in seven games. That's more than any player in a single season in NFL history. He is projected to become the highest-paid wide receiver in league history at some point in the coming months.
That's the beginning of the position group, but not the end.
Last month, the club released Michael Gallup after he underperformed in consecutive seasons due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
