8. Josh Ball, OT
Last season, the Dallas Cowboys found themselves starting two undrafted free agents on the offensive line. With Tyron Smith and La’el Collins out, they were rolling with Brandon Knight and Terence Steele.
As much as anyone wanted to put their 6-10 record on backup quarterback Andy Dalton, it was really the issues on the line that doomed them. Dallas couldn’t block anyone and when you have a quarterback over 30 in the pocket, that’s not ideal.
Of course, Dak Prescott’s return gives them a more mobile quarterback but the Cowboys don’t exactly want him testing out that surgically repaired ankle. For that reason, they added a couple of offensive tackles with better pedigree — including Josh Ball from Marshall.
The issue with Ball is his off-field concerns. Originally committed to Florida State, Ball was suspended in 2018 for what has been called “dating violence.” The accusations are ugly but Dallas is banking on that being a thing of the past.
He went through Butler Community College before attending Marshall and is considered a potential starter down the road. With the injury issues that Dallas has had in recent years on the offensive line, adding such a young player is a pretty sound investment. There’s clearly a risk, but the potential reward is high.