Dallas Cowboys' Biggest Remaining Offseason Question Marks

Despite the Dallas Cowboys finishing 13-3 in 2016 (with one of their losses coming in a meaningless Week 17 game), there are still quite a few questions surrounding the team as they approach training camp.

Dallas addressed some of its major needs through free agency and the draft, but there are still numerous starting jobs and roster spots that haven't been accounted for yet.

Here are some of the biggest questions surrounding the Cowboys this offseason.

Who Will Start at Left Guard?

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For most of the offseason, this wasn't a question at all. The assumption was that Dallas was going to keep La'el Collins at left guard, a spot that he spent his first two years of his career learning.

As the season inches closer, however, the reality is that Collins will no longer be playing in that role as he's being transitioned to right tackle.

Instead, the Cowboys will have an open competition to find their next left guard. Competing for the spot will be a former first-round bust in Jonathan Cooper and veterans Byron Bell and Emmett Cleary.

All three have been average, at best, players in the NFL, but the hope is that if Dallas can "hide" them between Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick, they will be just fine.  

The favorite to take the job is Cooper, who signed with the team late last season. He no longer has the elite athleticism he had in college, but he's the most natural fit as a left guard as he can get to the second level better than Bell and Cleary. When he's healthy, he's been fairly effective. He's improved in each of the past three seasons, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Cooper's biggest problem is that he just hasn't been able to stay healthy throughout his career. He's had trouble staying on the field due to numerous lower body injuries, most of which have occurred since his broken leg in his rookie season.

However, he's clearly the most talented of the three players competing for a starting spot and should get the first crack at the starting job once the pads come on in training camp.  

Bell and Cleary should provide solid depth at the position, but neither have high ceilings and don't offer much upside at the position. If either were to enter the lineup, the team would have a significant weakness at left guard. 

It's Cooper's job to lose and if he can't get the job done in camp, look for Dallas to explore their options via free agency or on the trade market for a suitable left guard.

Who Will Start at Right Defensive End?

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One of the most important positions on the Cowboys' entire defense is the right defensive end spot. Dallas relies on that end to win one-on-one matchups against left tackles; the entire scheme is designed to allow that player as many one-on-one matchups as possible. 

Dallas knows the importance of the position, which is why the team has spent so many resources trying to find one since DeMarcus Ware left in the 2014 offseason. Though Demarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Greg Hardy and others have all tried to fill the role, none have been able to sustain any level of success from the position. 

Entering 2017, the two players who will play most of their snaps at the right defensive end spot will be rookie Taco Charlton and 2016 sack leader Benson Mayowa. While neither are perfect scheme fits, they are the best options the team currently has. 

Charlton has the length and size for the position, but he lacks the overall quickness to be a true wide end. However, he's likely going to see the most snaps of anyone on the right side, and the hope is he can find different ways to win other than relying on speed. 

Mayowa was a free-agent signing in 2016, and he came in and led the team in sacks, but his play wasn't spectacular by any means.

He finished as just the 77th edge defender in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus. And in the NFL1000, he graded out as just the 49th rated 4-3 defensive end. While Mayowa led the team in sacks, he's best suited as a reserve.  

Lawrence could see time as well at right defensive end, but with his recent back surgeries and his style of play, he makes more sense on the left side. However, he will likely rotate between the two spots, provided he's healthy. 

The Cowboys will use a committee approach to solving their right defensive need, but it's safe to assume they will have an open competition for the job heading into camp, with the favorite being the player the team used a first-round selection on.

Who Will Start at Free Safety?

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For the first time since 2011, the Cowboys will open their season without Barry Church starting at one of the safety positions.

Not only will Church not be starting for Dallas, but J.J. Wilcox—who was selected in 2013—won't be manning the safety position either. That leaves Byron Jones as the only returning starter in the Cowboys' entire secondary. 

Competing to play next to Jones at safety will be veteran Jeff Heath and sixth-round pick Xavier Woods.

Heath is the odds-on favorite to win the job as he has the most experience and has already proved to be a playmaker in the secondary (four interceptions in 10 career starts). He has the athleticism and the ball skills to step in right away and make plays for the Cowboys. 

While Heath has the physical tools, he's somewhat limited in what he offers on the field. He's at his best when he's playing as a true free safety and doesn't have to match up one-on-one with a tight end or contribute in the run game. 

That's where Woods could possibly surpass Heath. The 21-year-old is a versatile defender who played many different positions in college. He's comfortable lining up as a box safety or as a free safety. He's played as a linebacker as well as in the slot.

If Woods can handle the mental aspect of the game as a rookie, he could quickly find a role on the Cowboys' defense.

Heath will likely open up the season as the team's starter at free safety, but don't be surprised if Woods carves out a role by the middle of the season, if not sooner.

This will be one of the more intriguing positional battles entering training camp and into the season.

Will the Cowboys Sign a Veteran Quarterback?

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While the Cowboys have their franchise quarterback and their backup, executive vice president Stephen Jones mentioned that the team could still sign a veteran quarterback, per SportsDay. The reason being is that there isn't much depth behind Dak Prescott and Kellen Moore.

Moore is entrenched as the team's backup, but his limited physical tools make him a stretch to fill that void. If Prescott were to go down for any amount of time, the Cowboys would have trouble scoring any points with Moore at quarterback. 

That's not to say he doesn't have value to the team. Moore's intelligence and help in the film room are the reasons why he is still on the roster. In many ways, he's an extension of the coaching staff who just happens to be on the 53-man roster. However, he's best suited as the third quarterback on a roster. 

But with training camp quickly approaching, the list of names for the Cowboys to consider bringing in is getting shorter and shorter. Names such as Robert Griffin III, Austin Davis and Ryan Nassib could all be players the Cowboys could sign as camp arms. All three could compete for spots on the 53-man roster.

While I don't think it's likely that Dallas signs a veteran, it would make sense for the team to grab one, even if it's just for a veteran camp arm to get them through practice and preseason.

How Will La'el Collins Play at Right Tackle?

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The question is no longer whether or not La'el Collins will play right tackle for Dallas, but is "how well will he play?"

In April, Stephen Jones mentioned on 105.3 The Fan that moving Collins to right tackle was an option, but the team preferred to keep him at guard (h/t SportsDay). After spending all of the offseason preparing to play right tackle, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, it seems as if it's a lock he will play there when the season begins. 

While Collins doesn't have the typical length for a tackle, his plus-athleticism and punishing playing style should allow him to find success quickly at his new position. He played left tackle in college, but kicking over to the right side will be a new challenge for him.

However, he proved to be a dominant tackle at LSU, finishing with the highest pass-block efficiency in the entire country in 2014, per PFF. The transition for Collins may not be as rocky as some may think because of his past success outside at tackle. 

The Cowboys have covered themselves in case the Collins move isn't successful. Likely backing him up will be former third-round pick Chaz Green and veteran Byron Bell.

Green has a much higher ceiling than Bell, but he just hasn't been able to stay healthy. However, when he's on the field, he should be more than an adequate option at right tackle. 

Ultimately, Collins' play in training camp and preseason will decide where he will play during the season. But he will have every opportunity to show that he can play right tackle in the NFL.

How Healthy Is Jaylon Smith?

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The biggest question surrounding the Cowboys this offseason has remained the same throughout the year; how healthy is Jaylon Smith? Will he be healthy enough to get on the field this year? And if he does, what kind of impact should we expect him to make? 

All of the questions have yet to be answered, but it does seem as if Smith is trending in the right direction. He's been participating in OTAs (one day on, one day off), and by all accounts, he's been able to do everything the team has asked. 

While all the reports are encouraging, the answer to this question won't be known until he actually steps on to the field with pads on and participates in a full-contact practice.

If Smith can prove he's healthy enough to do that, then he will be able to help the Cowboys in some capacity in 2017. Until then, there's just no way of knowing for sure how healthy he really is.