Dallas Cowboys: 5 Biggest Holes the Team Still Must Address

Despite making a whopping eight free-agent signings in the last few days, the Dallas Cowboys still find themselves with a plethora of gaping holes that need to be addressed.

While the Cowboys are fortunate to have most of their key positions secured, there are several positions that need some depth if the Cowboys are going to succeed this season.

They're in a difficult division with an even tougher schedule. If they're going to seed higher than the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins, the Cowboys can't afford to have any major weaknesses like they did last year in their secondary.

Their biggest flaws have been addressed to a large degree, but depth in those positions along with a few other plug-ins will really put Dallas over the top.

Here are five areas the Cowboys can still use some improvement in. 

Center

How many times did we see Phil Costa snap the ball over Tony Romo's head last season?

Each poorly executed snap by Costa was greeted by a Romo tirade and a "What in the world was that?"

The Cowboys still have not addressed the center position.

Perhaps going after Stanford center David DeCastro in the NFL draft would alleviate their problems.

However, he is projected to go higher than No. 14, which is Dallas' pick in the draft. If the Cowboys can't get him, they can select Peter Konz from Wisconsin, who can turn into a solid stronghold for the Cowboys.

Whomever they get, Dallas definitely needs a center. By having a reliable center, Tony Romo will have more time to throw, and that just means he's going to be effective to a higher degree. 

Guard

The Dallas Cowboys signed two guards this past week, but they're still weak in the position.

Nate Livings will be taking over the right guard position, but Mackenzy Bernadeau lacks the experience to be a starting left guard. 

The Cowboys can use more depth by signing another guard to provide competition for Bernadeau.

The notion of competition for a starting spot may fuel Bernadeau to be more consistent in his position, and it would also provide depth in case of injuries. 

Backup Wide Receivers

The Dallas Cowboys lost Laurent Robinson to free agency after he had a breakout year this season. 

After Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, the Cowboys find themselves thin at the wide receiver position.

They do have Kevin Ogletree, but he will undoubtedly be competing with someone else for the third receiver job.

The Cowboys should target an affordable and dependable receiver via free agency. Guys like Early Doucet, Hines Ward, Devin Aromashodu and Jerome Simpson infiltrate the market.

Making a move for one of these guys will take the Boys to the next level in terms of skill and depth at the wide receiver position.

Kicker/Punter

Really?

A kicker and a punter? I came to this article to read about how the Cowboys need to get placekicking?

Well, yes. 

The Dallas Cowboys lost two games this season because of missed field goals late in games.

One of those losses was to the New York Giants. If the Cowboys win both of those games, they have a 10-6 record and the Giants don't make the playoffs, let alone make the Super Bowl.

Now it's true that a great effort by the Giants to block the field goal and several coaching blunders might have led to those missed kicks, but the Cowboys need to be more clutch when it comes to field goals. They can't afford to play solid games and end up losing them because of a missed kick.

It's been a thorn in their side ever since Tony Romo's infamous bobbled snap in 2007. 

Although Dan Bailey was solid early on in the year, he failed to make the big kicks during crunch time.

They still have Bailey under contract for next season, but perhaps signing a veteran like Neil Rackers or Jay Feely will end the Cowboys field goal problems for good.

They also need to do whatever it takes to re-sign Mat McBriar, who has been money in terms of punting the ball in the last few seasons with Dallas. 

Cornerback Depth

The Cowboys' most daunting issue coming into free agency was their secondary.

It was much maligned last season, as opposing quarterbacks had their way against the Dallas secondary.

Signing Brandon Carr was a phenomenal addition that will help the Cowboys. Also, Mike Jenkins is solid to some extent. 

That being said, they don't have much depth in that position. They suffered many injuries at different points of the year last season and had to use untested guys sometimes. That's not a recipe for success.

The Cowboys should use one or two of their mid-round picks for some cornerbacks after addressing their offensive line problems.