Predicting Dallas Cowboys' Top Position Battles This Offseason

The Dallas Cowboys will enter training camp with more positional battles than in the past few seasons.

With the team being incredibly deep, specifically on defense, it will allow Dallas to have more training-camp battles for starting jobs.

Positions such as right tackle, cornerback and safety all have vacant spots that need to be filled by the end of training camp.

Aside from those three starting jobs, there are secondary roles that need to be decided before the season begins. Such as, who will backup Ezekiel Elliott? Or who will be the team's starting punt returner?

With camp just a few months away, here are the top positional battles entering the 2017 season for the Dallas Cowboys.

Darren McFadden vs. Alfred Morris

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Battle: No.2 running back job:

Ezekiel Elliott is one of the best running backs in the league and, as goes into his second year as a starter, he rarely will come off the field.

In 2016, the rest of the running backs finished with just 104 carries. But as the team moves forward with Elliott as the workhorse back, they do need to find a capable running back who can give him a breather in games.

Heading into two training camps, the two players who will be competing for that role were both on the roster in 2016.

Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris are both veteran running backs who have a had a ton of success in the NFL, but neither is in their prime any longer. Yet, each provides something unique to the team that could make them a valuable asset to the Cowboys. 

McFadden has the size, speed and receiving ability to be the perfect backup to Elliott.

In 2015, McFadden was the full-time starter for the second half of the season and was more than serviceable. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry while rushing for over 1,000 yards. But he's not an ideal fit in the zone-blocking scheme the Cowboys' rely heavily on, and his upright running style can be detrimental at times. 

While Morris doesn't have the size or speed of Elliott or McFadden, his understanding and fit in the zone-blocking scheme is ideal as the team's backup running back.

But he just doesn't offer as much as McFadden in the passing game or as a home run hitter, and it's likely why Morris won't see the field much, if at all, in 2017. He will need to have a great camp to surpass McFadden on the depth chart, assuming both are healthy. 

McFadden will likely be able to win the job because of his receiving ability and overall speed, but if neither impress in camp, it won't be shocking to see the Cowboys make a move for a more dynamic, younger player.

However, McFadden is a pretty safe bet to finish second on the team in rushing attempts in 2017.  

Projected Winner: Darren McFadden

Chaz Green vs. Jonathan Cooper

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Battle: Starting spot on the offensive line

This battle is unlike the others we will look at as Chaz Green and Jonathan Cooper won't actually compete against one another for a starting spot at one position. Instead, the two are competing for a starting job on the offensive line at their respective positions.

Green will compete for a job at right tackle, while most of Cooper's time will be spent at left guard. The performances of these two will likely determine not only who starts between the two of them but also where La'el Collins will play in 2017.  

Green played well in 2016 when filling in for Tyron Smith at left tackle. However, he's missed so much time over the past two seasons that it will be hard to rely on him for the entire 2017 season. He has played in just four games in his two years in the NFL.

There is no question that he has the talent to be a high-level starter in the NFL, but his long history of injuries may keep him from winning a job during training camp.

If Green doesn't seize the right tackle job in camp or if he were to go down due to injury, the other option the Cowboys have is to move Collins from left guard to right tackle. If that were to happen, that means Dallas would slide Cooper into the starting lineup at left guard.

Cooper doesn't have the natural strength of Ron Leary or Collins, but he does have the movement skills to thrive in the zone-blocking scheme. Cooper can get to the second level with ease and, with a full offseason with the Cowboys, he could be a starter in Week 1 for the team.

In the beginning of the offseason, it seemed like a lock that Green would start at right tackle and Collins at left guard. But after seeing the team lineup with Collins at right tackle and with the recent reports that he has been spending most of the offseason at that spot, it seems likely that's where he will start the season.

However, if Dallas is serious about moving Collins to right tackle, Cooper will need to outplay Green in camp. He has all the talent in the world, and Dallas may be just the right spot for him to thrive. 

Project winner: Jonathan Cooper

Lucky Whitehead vs. Ryan Switzer

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Battle: Kick and punt return duties

The Cowboys have had one of the worst kick and punt return units for some time. Dallas hasn't returned a kickoff for a touchdown since 2008, and they haven't returned a punt for a score since 2013, either.

In order to help upgrade the position, the Cowboys spent their 2017 fourth-round pick on return specialist Ryan Switzer from North Carolina. Competing with him for return duties will be incumbent Lucky Whitehead, who has handled both kick and punt returns for the team in the past two seasons.   

Whitehead averaged just 23.2 yards per kick return in 2016 and had three fumbles in limited touches. He has zero touchdowns on 77 career returns. He was often replaced by Cole Beasley as a punt returner as he was just too unreliable. He was eventually replaced by Darren McFadden on kickoff returns. 

While Switzer doesn't have a lot of experience as a kick return (just two career kickoff returns), he was a dynamic punt returner at North Carolina. He returned seven punts for touchdowns while in college, five of which came as a freshman. By his senior year, he only returned 16 punts as teams were doing their best to kick away from Switzer. 

He doesn't have the speed of Whitehead, but Switzer is a more reliable returner and offers more on offense than his teammate. Expect Switzer to win the job and possibly kick Whitehead off the roster in 2017. 

Projected winner: Ryan Switzer

Cedric Thornton vs. Stephen Paea

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Battle: Starting one-technique

With Terrell McClain leaving in free agency to sign with the division rival Washington Redskins, the Cowboys have a hole in the middle of their defense.

By the end of training camp, Dallas needs to determine who will anchor their defense as the team's starting one technique. The candidates are two players who the Cowboys have signed in each of the past two years in free agency in Cedric Thornton and Stephen Paea. 

Thornton and Paea both graded out as average players in 2016 at defensive tackle. They finished 45th and 52nd, respectively, in the NFL1000.

The most likely starter inside next to Maliek Collins will be Thornton, as he was signed in 2016 to take over that role. He is a long, athletic defensive tackle who is more of a penetrating player than one who takes on blocks. Thornton can use his length to get under offensive lineman or his quickness to shoot into running lanes and disrupt plays. 

His competition will be a Rod Marinelli favorite in Stephen Paea. He was signed by the Cowboys this offseason to push Thornton and to provide a true run-stopper in the middle on early downs. He doesn't offer much as a pass-rusher, but he can use his power to help push the pocket at times. He's tough to move off the ball, but he just doesn't provide the same type of athleticism and length as Thornton does. 

The starter will probably be the player who is able to provide the most pass rush in camp. Thornton has the athletic profile to be that player and will likely get the first crack at it during camp.

Neither are flashy players nor will they contribute much in the passing game, but they need to find a reliable player to fill the big shoes left by McClain. 

Projected winner: Cedric Thornton

Orlando Scandrick vs. Jourdan Lewis

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Battle: Starting slot cornerback

The Cowboys have completely rebuilt their secondary this offseason, bringing in Nolan Carroll in free agency and four new players via the draft.

While Carroll and Anthony Brown will likely start on the outside for Dallas, the starting slot job is up for grabs. The two most likely candidates to play inside is veteran Orlando Scandrick and third-round rookie Jourdan Lewis. 

It's no secret that Scandrick struggled in 2016. He finished as the 77th-ranked cornerback in the NFL, according to the NFL1000. He started just 10 games in 2016 and was only able to create one turnover and accounted for only 39 total tackles.

He was in and out of games and was just never fully healthy. However, the 30-year old cornerback is one of the team's emotional leaders on defense, and when he's right, he's one of the best slot corners in the NFL. Scandrick knows how to win, not only with quickness in the slot but also with toughness.

Rookie Lewis has that same quickness (maybe even more), but he will need to show he has the mental toughness to survive in the NFL. He is a playmaking machine who isn't afraid to match up against players who are much bigger to him. But corners typically need some time to grow before becoming quality starters. 

While the job is clearly Lewis' in the future, the Cowboys will likely go with the veteran to start the year.

As the season goes along, Dallas will likely allow Lewis to play more snaps in the slot. However, it wouldn't be shocking if he was just too good in camp to take off the field. This will be one of the more entertaining battles to watch during training camp and into the preseason.  

Projected winner: Orlando Scandrick

Jeff Heath vs. Xavier Woods

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Battle: Starting free safety

Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox left via free agency, but the Cowboys aren't planning on having a drop-off in play at the safety position. Stepping into replace the veterans are two young players who have much different skill sets than their predecessors. 

Jeff Heath and Xavier Woods play more like true free safeties than what Church or Wilcox ever did.

Both Heath and Woods can play as a single high safety, and both players can step down into the box to cover tight ends and running backs. While it's likely that we see both men on the field in 2017, one will become the team's full-time starter, while the other is relegated to three safety sets. 

Heath is an amazing athlete who has a knack for making big plays in the limited time he's on the field.

He's shown that he can be a ball-hawk as a center fielder and that he's not afraid to play in the biggest of games. Last year's performance against the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round is just another example of how he is ready to take on a bigger role for Dallas as a starter. 

Behind Heath is Woods, who was the Cowboys' sixth-round pick this year. He is another highly intelligent, playmaker who seemed to be around the ball all the time in college.

He accounted for 14 career interceptions while in college and should have created even more if it weren't for some dropped balls. He can do a bit of everything and is productive no matter where he lines up.

Woods seems like the perfect free safety in Rod Marinelli's defensive scheme as he can play all over the field, while Heath is limited to playing as the team's center fielder.

However, Woods will likely get a year to learn behind Heath and possibly grow into a bigger role as the season gets going. Either could win the job in camp, but expect both to be on the field early and often in 2017. 

Projected winner: Jeff Heath