5 Dallas Cowboys Players with Most to Prove in 2017

Heading into the 2017 season, there are a number of players on the Dallas Cowboys' roster who have something to prove this season.

From players who need to have big years to stay on the roster going forward or guys who just need to stay healthy, there are more than a handful of players who need to perform at a high level in 2017. 

Here are the top five players with the most to prove heading into the new season.

Demarcus Lawrence

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Demarcus Lawrence's three-year career has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride so far.

After Dallas traded up to select Lawrence in the 2014 draft, he went on to break his foot in training camp and it delayed his start with the team. He didn't record a sack as a rookie, but he did sack Matthew Stafford twice in the playoff game in 2014, sealing the win for the Cowboys. 

Then, in 2015, Lawrence was the team's No. 2 pass-rusher as he played alongside Greg Hardy. As a secondary rusher, he recorded eight sacks, and it looked like he had finally arrived. 

However, after two back surgeries and a four-game suspension due to performance-enhancing drugs, Lawrence was never right in 2016. He missed seven games due to injury and in the nine other games that he played, he didn't look like the same athlete he was in 2015.

He was heavy and lacked explosiveness, and he finished the year with just one sack and graded out as Pro Football Focus' 60th-ranked edge defender. 

As he heads into his fourth year with the Cowboys, Lawrence is entering a contract year. It's clear that the team has covered themselves if he can't get back to his 2015 form. They've selected Taco Charlton in the first round to be his replacement at right defensive end and will likely play him right away. 

For Lawrence, he needs to show the Cowboys and the other 31 teams in the NFL that he is one of the better edge-rushers in the league. A big season in 2017 could lead to a massive raise next offseason by either the Cowboys or another team.

If he produces like he did in 2015, the Cowboys should have a much-improved defense. There is a lot riding on Lawrence's season in 2017. 

Dak Prescott

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What Dak Prescott needs to prove to the world in 2017 is simple—demonstrate that his rookie season wasn't a fluke.

With Tony Romo gone, it's Prescott's team, and it's now his burden to try to deliver a sixth championship to Dallas. 

In his rookie year, Prescott completed 67.8 percent of his passes as he led the Cowboys to a 13-3 record. He threw for 3,667 passing yards and had just four interceptions all season. He scored 29 total touchdowns on his way to earning Rookie of the Year honors at the end of the season. 

As the 23-year-old develops, he will be asked to carry more of the offense. A heavier workload could be seen as soon as 2017 if Dallas' running game isn't as dominant as it was last season. 

If Prescott can continue to develop and build on his 2016 statistics, there will be no more doubt that he is a franchise quarterback and that Dallas made the correct decision by letting Romo leave.

It's a big year for Prescott and his reputation around the league.

La'el Collins

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What La'el Collins has to prove in 2017 is actually two-fold.

First and foremost, he has to show that he can stay healthy. In his first two seasons in the NFL, Collins has missed 17 games, not including the team's playoff game against Green Bay. It won't matter what position he plays if he can't stay on the field. 

The second thing he needs to show is that he cannot only replace Doug Free at right tackle, but he can also be a solid player in the NFL.

In his first two seasons in the NFL, Collins has graded out as a below-average guard, according to Pro Football Focus. With grades of just 67.3 and 42.1, respectively, he hasn't been the dominant player he was at LSU.

Hopefully, Collins can transition to right tackle and stay on the field to learn the position. If he plays well as a tackle in 2017, it's likely the Cowboys would explore giving him a long-term deal as soon as the next offseason. For the player's sake, playing well at tackle means a much bigger payday than playing well at guard.

But if the Collins experiment fails, the Cowboys could be in trouble in 2017. What has made the Dallas line dominant over the past few seasons is that they were above average at every single spot on the offensive line with three of those positions being filled by All-Pro players. 

If Collins isn't the answer at tackle, the Cowboys will be in the market for a true right tackle as soon as next offseason.

Dez Bryant

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Dez Bryant is a known commodity. He doesn't have to prove his dominance or that he's a leader on the Dallas Cowboys. He doesn't need to show that he's a No.1 receiver or that he can beat good cornerbacks like Josh Norman and Richard Sherman.

All Bryant needs to prove is that he can stay healthy for an entire season.

Over the past two seasons, he has missed 10 games, but he's never been 100 percent. Bryant has battled foot and knee injuries that have limited his explosion. But at the tail-end of 2016, he finally started to look like himself once again. 

Dallas paid Bryant like a top-five wide receiver in 2015, but he just hasn't been able to stay healthy for a complete season. He will be 29 during the season and if he can't stay healthy, the Cowboys may need to think about finding a replacement in the near future. 

With a healthy year and a second season with Dak Prescott at the helm, Bryant will have the chance to show that he's worth the money he was paid in 2015, and that he's still one of the best receivers in the league.

This is a big year for Bryant.

Jaylon Smith

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While Jaylon Smith has never stepped on to the field, he's the player who has the most to prove heading into 2017.

Not only does he need to show he's healthy enough to play, he needs to prove he can play at a high quality in the NFL. It won't be enough for him to just be a serviceable linebacker, he needs to be an exceptional player to justify the risk. 

When Dallas selected Smith at the top of the second round, the belief was that if Smith returned to form, he could be a dominant linebacker in the NFL. Dallas believed Smith had Luke Kuechly-like upside and would be a franchise-changer if he could return to the field. 

But, if Smith returns and is only an average player, the insane risk they took will not pay off. Dallas opted to select him, knowing that there was a high chance he would never make it on to the field. In doing so, they passed on players such as Su'a Cravens, Michael Thomas and Deion Jones, all of whom Dallas appeared to think highly of. 

Smith needs to show he's healthy and back to his 2015 form when he was one of the most dynamic linebackers to ever come out of college. He's got the most to prove of any player on the roster.