Jaylon Smith (2016) and Chidobe Awuzie (2017) are listed as primary backups, but both look to have a good chance of eventually becoming starters. Bruce Carter (2011) and Gavin Escobar (2013) are gone and Randy Gregory (2015) is suspended. Sean Lee (2010) and Demarcus Lawrence (2014) are the only second-rounders since 2010 to be penciled in as starters in the depth chart above. That's quite an accomplishment.Ĭan't say the same thing about the second-rounders. Seven of the eight players drafted in the first round since 2010 ( Morris Claiborne is the exception) are still with the team, and six of them are penciled in as starters ( Taco Charlton is the odd man out). None of this obviously means the line will return with the same quality, but at least it'll have some continuity.įirst- and second-day draft picks. Byron Bell is the only one out of the ten who joined the team this year via free agency. Offensive line continuity: Much has been made about the Ronald Leary's departure and Doug Free's retirement, but if you look at the five starters and five primary backups listed for the O-line above, nine of the ten players listed were with the Cowboys last season already. For a team that was already stacked to begin with, signing up to three UDFAs will result in some unexpected cuts somewhere else. This year, Lewis Neal looks like he could have a shot at a fourth DT spot, Joseph Jones could be in play for a seventh linebacker spot as the MLB depth guy and special teams demon, and Cooper Rush could push the team to keep three quarterbacks. Undrafted free agents: The Cowboys have traditionally been a team where UDFAs have done well, even if not a single UDFA made the team last year. Sure, Lewis hasn't practice much in camp so far, but that still looks odd. Chidobe Awuzie is penciled in as the backup to Orlando Scandrick, while likely slot corner Jourdan Lewis is penciled in behind Anthony Brown and Duke Thomas. But that doesn't seem to be the case here. McFarland WR Corey Washington) were not included by whoever put together this depth chart.Ĭornerbacks: The Cowboys show three rows of cornerbacks, which one could assume would be the two outside corners and the slot corner, with their respective backups.
Additionally, the four players added last week (CBs Dejaun Butler and John Green TE M.J. Why are there players missing? Justin Durant, even though he took part in practices last week, is nowhere to be found on the depth chart. This depth chart seems to indicate that the slot receiver could be more than just another receiver in the Cowboys' scheme and that the slot guys will be an integral part of the Cowboys' offense.Īlso, if the depth chart lists the X, Y, and Z receivers, is there a chance the Cowboys go two deep at each and keep six receivers? Cole Beasley and Ryan Switzer caused strong fan reactions in the few instances where they lined up together in training camp. This is the first depth chart I've ever seen from the Cowboys that has a separate row for slot receivers. But getting another four starters from the 2017 rookie class feels like a tall order. The current depth chart suggests the Cowboys won't have any rookie starters at the start of the season, though that could obviously change as the season progresses. Last year, the Cowboys had two rookie starters in Week 1 in Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, and added two more ( Maliek Collins, 14 starts Anthony Brown, 10 starts) later in the season. The only exception is free agent acquisition Nolan Carroll, but the pending disciplinary action for his DUI might see him sit out a few games to start the season. Notes / Observations from the initial depth chart:Ĭolor by numbers: You'll notice that almost all projected starters are marked in green, indicating that they are returning players from 2016.