Winners and Losers of Dallas Cowboys' Offseason So Far
Every offseason, there is a group of players from each team that has "won" or "lost" the offseason. The winners are typically players who have gotten themselves into better shape physically or their situation has changed for the better.
When it comes to the latter, less competition at a player's position following the draft and free agency may show confidence in said player.
The "losers" of the offseason can vary from players who were suspended, had multiple players added to their positional group or suffered injuries, among other concerns.
Nevertheless, there are always a handful of players who can be considered the winners and losers of an offseason. Here are some of each for the Cowboys this offseason.
Winner: Rico Gathers
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One of the biggest winners for the Cowboys this offseason was Rico Gathers for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Gathers has been impressing the coaching staff. With a full year under his belt, he's a much more mature player, and he's starting to get his body into football shape.
Gathers has benefited from injuries at tight end this offseason, as neither James Hanna nor Geoff Swaim has been able to participate in practice. This has allowed Gathers to see more snaps with the first-team offense.
The extra reps have gone a long way to not only increasing his confidence but also increasing the coaching staff’s confidence in him.
What has also helped Gathers this offseason was that the team did not add a tight end in free agency or in the draft. Despite this being one of the best and deepest draft classes for tight ends, Dallas opted not to select a tight end. Instead, it will focus on developing Gathers for the next few seasons.
Ultimately, Dallas is hoping that Gathers could become the eventual replacement for Jason Witten, who has been steadily declining in the past few seasons.
So much has gone right for Gathers so far this offseason, and with a solid training camp and preseason, it would seem even more realistic that he could be the Cowboys' future at tight end.
Loser: Orlando Scandrick
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The 2017 draft was a rough weekend for veteran cornerback Orlando Scandrick. Not only did the team draft three cornerbacks, two of whom can play in the slot, the team also told him that it was shopping him.
Dallas ultimately decided to hold on to Scandrick (most likely because it didn't receive any offers that included a third-round pick). The future is clear for Scandrick; his time in Dallas is coming to an end soon.
At 30 years old, Scandrick is a declining player who will compete with numerous rookies and young corners who could push him off the roster as soon as 2018.
Scandrick will need to play at a high level in 2017 to fend off the young pups the team brought in this offseason. But Dallas made it clear that it plans on getting younger at cornerback, and that transition to youth may come sooner than Scandrick wants to admit.
Winner: Jaylon Smith
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Maybe the biggest winner of the offseason for the Cowboys is linebacker Jaylon Smith. While he's not completely ready for the regular season, he's taken massive steps to get to that point.
His nerves in his knees are regenerating, and he can lift his toes. He's participated in OTAs and is on track to be on the field for the mandatory minicamp this month.
While Smith is still wearing the AFO brace to help lift his foot, there are hopes that he can eventually shed the brace. As of now, the Cowboys believe that Smith can play with the brace and at his current state.
Smith is a winner because of the fact that he's on the field and seems to be getting healthier by the week. It's safe to assume that we will see Smith in training camp this season, and that's encouraging considering where he was when the team drafted him in the second round.
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Loser: David Irving
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As David Irving enters a contract year, he appears to be in great shape and lined up with the first-team defensive line in OTAs. At just 23 years old and finally healthy from a wrist injury that limited him in 2015 and 2016, Irving is ready for a breakout season.
However, that could be put on hold as Irving is facing a four-game suspension for a performance-enhancing drug. If Irving does, in fact, miss the four games, the Cowboys will suffer as a team, and it will also affect Irving's breakout season and the possibility for a long-term deal from the club.
While there is still a lot that needs to be hashed out and decided, the news couldn't have come at a worse time.
Winner: Jeff Heath
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After the Cowboys decided not to retain Barry Church or J.J. Wilcox in free agency, many thought that the team would turn to the draft to find the eventual replacement for the two.
Instead of selecting a Marcus Williams or Obi Melifonwu, two players the Cowboys brought in predraft, Dallas opted to ignore the safety position until the sixth round of the draft.
Losing the two players ahead of him, and with the Cowboys not addressing safety earlier, Jeff Heath was a big winner this offseason.
After playing just 238 snaps in 2016, per Sportradar, Heath should see a massive uptick in snaps in 2017. As of now, Heath is the team's projected starter at free safety and should be able to win that job easily in training camp.
At just 26 years old, Heath could be one of the breakout stars for the Cowboys defense this season. With no real added competition, he should set career highs across the board in 2017. Look for Heath to grab hold of the job early in camp and be a real asset by the end of the season.
Loser: Ezekiel Elliott
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Calling Ezekiel Elliott a "loser" this offseason may seem like a bit of a stretch, but in fact, it actually has nothing to do with him or his talent. Instead, it has to do with his offensive line.
In the offseason, the Cowboys lost 40 percent of their starting offensive line, with Doug Free retiring and Ronald Leary signing in Denver. Rather than spend big money or a high draft pick on a replacement, Dallas opted to replace the two in-house.
Filling in for Leary and Free will likely be Jonathan Cooper at guard and La'el Collins at tackle. Both have immense talent and athletic ability, but both struggle to stay on the field. In the case of Collins, he will be learning a new position, but he clearly has the talent to survive.
Cooper may fit Dallas' zone-blocking scheme, but he's bounced around the league over the past two seasons. Training camp will be vital for both players.
With a lot of uncertainty in front of Elliott on the offensive line, he will be asked to do more with less in his second year with the Cowboys. I fully expect Elliott to at least come close to his 2016 numbers, but he will need to do more by himself in order to reach those lofty stats.
Winner: La'el Collins
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La'el Collins has had one of the best offseasons one could ask for. It started off with the Cowboys not re-signing guard Ronald Leary, showing Collins that the team has faith in his ability. Not only are the Cowboys confident that Collins can be a really good player in the NFL despite two average years so far, they are moving him from guard to right tackle.
For Collins, the move is big for a few reasons. The first being that it may be a more natural position for him as he played tackle all throughout his career in college. But the second being that NFL teams pay tackles significantly more than guards. If Collins can prove to be even an average right tackle, he can expect to see a massive payday in free agency in 2018.
As long as Collins can stay healthy, his value not only to the Cowboys but to other teams around the league should rise with the switch to tackle. After having things break the right way for him this offseason, he will need to show the Cowboys that their faith in him was warranted by having a huge third season.
Loser: Lucky Whitehead
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After a rough 2016 season in which Lucky Whitehead fumbled on three of his 13 offensive touches, the Cowboys brought in a player to take his spot as a receiver and as a returner. Ryan Switzer from North Carolina was selected in the fourth round to replace Whitehead on both offense and special teams.
Whitehead was also suspended in 2016 due to a violation of team rules that caused him to miss the team's second matchup with the Giants. Because of his lack of maturity and his tendency to put the ball on the ground, the Cowboys decided to use a valuable draft pick in replacing him.
Whitehead is going to need a huge camp in order to make the team's roster in 2017.
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