Biggest Questions Facing Dallas Cowboys with Training Camp Underway

Dallas Cowboys' training camp is well underway and the team's first preseason game is on Thursday night.

While there have been a lot of positives coming out of training camp, such as Jaylon Smith's daily progression and Jourdan Lewis being found not guilty of domestic abuse, there are still a bunch of questions that need to be answered. 

The biggest questions remain on defense, but there are some interesting camp battles happening on the offensive side of the ball.

Without further ado, here are the biggest questions coming out of training camp.

How Will Suspensions Impact the Defense?

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Last week, the NFL announced that defensive end Damontre Moore will be suspended for the first two games of the season after violating the league's substance abuse policy. The ban stems from an arrest that happened last year when he was with the Seahawks. Moore received a DWI in December and is now paying the consequences for the mistake. 

But Moore isn't the only suspension the Cowboys will be dealing with on defense. Defensive end Randy Gregory is suspended for the season and potential breakout star David Irving will miss the team's first four games after failing a PED test earlier this summer. While those three suspensions could hurt Dallas early in the season, there may be more to come. 

Starting cornerback Nolan Caroll could be facing league discipline after being arrested in June for a DUI. It's likely he will receive a one- or two-game suspension as that is typically the penalty for first-time defenders.

Linebacker Damien Wilson could also face a suspension after being arrested on July 4 for aggravated assault. Wilson allegedly backed his truck into a woman and brandished a weapon.   

The Cowboys' defense was already going through an adjustment period after losing six key contributors to free agency this spring. With injuries taking a toll on the group and the suspensions piling up, there are questions about how the team's defense will hold up early in the season.

Can DeMarcus Lawrence Become an Elite Defensive End?

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Heading into training camp, there were a lot of questions surrounding Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. After the first week of camp, though, there has been no doubt who the Cowboys' best defensive lineman has been.

If Lawrence is truly 100 percent healthy, then the Cowboys' defense could be considerably better in 2017. Last year, they lacked a true presence on the edge. Veteran Benson Mayowa led the team in sacks with just six, and he was benched because of a lack of production. 

After a one sack season in 2016, Lawrence recently told 105.3 The Fan (h/t CBS DFW) that his goal is 12 sacks this season. While that number may be a little lofty for the fourth-year defensive end out of Boise State, it's attainable if he can stay healthy.

A lot of the Cowboys' success on defense in 2017 will depend on Lawrence and how he performs.

Who Wins the Starting Left Guard Job?

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The biggest battle in Dallas' training camp so far has been one that has been anticipated all offseason; the left guard job.

After the Cowboys threw a bunch of different players into that spot during OTAs and in minicamps, the two names who have shared the first-team reps in practice have been Chaz Green and Jonathan Cooper. 

As of this posting, Green has seen more snaps with the starters than Cooper, but it's clear this decision won't be decided until after the Cowboys have broken camp. Dallas wants to see each player in live action with the rest of the starters to find out who will win this spot. However, Green was injured last week and his status is yet to be known. 

Dallas would love to have Cooper win the job, as it would allow the team to keep Green as the swing tackle. However, they will play the best player, no matter who it is.

Who will win the job remains to be seen, but it's one of the bigger questions coming out of Cowboys' camp right now.

Should Tyrone Crawford Move Back to Defensive Tackle?

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The Cowboys have been impressed with some of their young defensive ends so far in camp. This leads to the simple question: Should Dallas move Tyrone Crawford back to defensive tackle to open up jobs and snaps? The answer is yes. 

For starters, Crawford wasn't particularly effective as a defensive end in 2016. He ranked as just the 40th 4-3 defensive end in 2016, according to Bleacher Report's NFL1000 project. He played more snaps than any other defensive end in 2016 (624) and accumulated just 4.5 sacks. 

Dallas moved Crawford to left defensive end full-time in 2016 after rookie Maliek Collins stole the show as the team's 3-technique and as injuries and suspensions mounted on the defensive line. But with seemingly more depth at defensive end, a permanent move back to defensive tackle could drastically improve the Cowboys' defense in 2017.

Who Are the Team's Starting Cornerbacks for Week 1?

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Heading into 2017, the Cowboys' secondary will look much different than it did in 2016.

One of the biggest questions surrounding the team in camp is: Who will start for the team at cornerback in Week 1? While many are focused on who will be the top corners, that doesn't mean as much in today's NFL. It's more about who the top three or four are. 

For example, the Cowboys open the season against the New York Giants. No team used more three-receiver sets in 2016 than the Giants (92 percent of the team's snaps), so it's more about finding the top three, including a slot corner. 

As of now, it's likely the Cowboys will go with veterans at the position to start the season. Nolan Carroll, Anthony Brown and Orlando Scandrick in the slot will probably be the team's starters to open the year.

However, if Carroll (who was arrested for DWI in June) is suspended for any time, that would likely mean rookies Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis could be put into a position to play right away. 

Over the next few weeks, Awuzie and Lewis will have a chance to earn jobs in their first season. It'll be fascinating to see how the cornerback position shakes down after camp and into the season.

How Much Should Dallas Expect from Ryan Switzer?

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After the release of Lucky Whitehead, Ryan Switzer has all but locked in a job as the fourth or fifth receiver on the depth chart.

The rookie from North Carolina will likely be the team's primary punt returner, and the Cowboys are hoping he can be the first returner to score a touchdown on special teams since Dwayne Harris in 2012. 

But what can we expect from Switzer on the offensive side of the ball? Not only is he going to be asked to replace Whitehead as a returner, he also may be asked to replace him on offense as well as replace Lance Dunbar on third downs out of the backfield. 

It's clear the Cowboys will have a role for Switzer in his first year, but the size of it could grow each and every week.

Expect Switzer to play just a few plays on offense in the first half of the season, but don't be shocked if he finds himself in a much bigger role by November. 

How Much Should Dallas Expect from Jaylon Smith?

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The Cowboys' biggest question entering training camp remains after a week of practices: How much should we expect from Jaylon Smith in 2017? If the first week of practice is any indication, then the answer is much more much than we could have imagined. 

Entering training camp, I was pessimistic about how much Smith would do in camp. It seemed as if the Cowboys were going to be extra cautious with him, limiting the number of practices he would compete and holding him out of padded practices. Instead, they have let him work like he's just any other player. 

Don't expect Smith to be the team's starting middle linebacker come Week 1 against the New York Giants, but he should be on the field at some point this season.

And with the somewhat recent news that the Cowboys believe a full regeneration of the nerve is possible in six to nine months, the team has to be thrilled by what they have seen from him so far.