1. The linebacker room needs to develop
The linebacker room has been a position the Cowboys have been addressing for years. In recent drafts the Cowboys have selected Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch. Smith was injured at the time he was drafted and the Cowboys are only now starting to see a return on that investment. Vander Esch will be a rookie next season and will need to learn the NFL game.
The veteran in the room is Sean Lee. Lee is an outstanding player who provides excellent veteran leadership to the group. He is also injury prone forcing the Cowboys to have enough depth on the roster to fill in for him.
The Cowboys lost veteran Anthony Hitchens this offseason to the Kansas City Chiefs. Looking to help fill the void, the Cowboys singed veteran Damien Wilson, whose career has been a mixed bag up to this point. He has a lot of athleticism but still needs to develop technically as a player.
This leaves the Cowboys with a very young linebacker room with veteran leaders. How well these younger players develop will shape how the defense plays this upcoming season.
Smith looks like he may finally be healthy. Although a return to his Notre Dame form seems highly unlikely, even a reduced version of Smith is an excellent player in the NFL.
Then there is Vander Esch. He does well in pass defense, but his run stuffing skills leave a significant amount of room for improvement. If he can quickly improve in diagnosing plays and stopping the run behind the line of scrimmage, he will be well worth a first-round draft pick.
Next: 2019 NFL Mock Draft: Way too early projection for next year
But the uncertainty around Sean Lee’s health and the need for younger players to develop leave the linebacker room as a make or break position. If it pans out, the linebackers could be the heart and soul of the defense. If not, they could be an obstacle to success in 2018.