Ranking Dallas Cowboys positions of need in the 2023 offseason

As the Dallas Cowboys front office beings the process of evaluating their roster in order to shore up positions they feel are either lacking talent or depth via free agency and the 2023 NFL Draft they are going to see glaring clear needs. The Cowboys have a few big names that are about to hit the market such as Tony Pollard, Dalton Schultz, Donovan Wilson, and Anthony Brown. That’s not the issue though, the Cowboys will try and work out deals with those players the real issue is they have 18 more free agents who were major contributors this season.

That’s a lot of production they’ll need to replace if they want to field another team with Super Bowl ambitions. They won’t have a ton of money in terms of the salary cap to make moves in free agency but owner Jerry Jones has floated ways to increase their cap space in order to have the ability to be players in the free agent market, which they will need to be if they want to contend next season. But first, the evaluation process must being and we are going to do our own evaluation of this roster in order to see what positions are most in need of an infusion of youth and or talent to help this team, so let’s get started.

Tier One Positions of Need for the Dallas Cowboys

Cornerback, Offensive Line, Wide Receiver

Wide Receiver

The wide receiver position is clearly a need for this team, CeeDee Lamb is the only receiver that really can threaten defenses. Michael Gallup is now going to be coming off another surgery on the opposite knee and ankle which should be a cause for concern for Dallas as he might be on the decline, then you have Noah Brown who played well this season and should get a nice contract somewhere else leaving them with Jalen Tolbert who showed them nothing this season and Dennis Houston who the team likes but needs to develop more. The Cowboys will have options in free agency and in the draft to find someone but this position will be at the top of their list.

Cornerback

The second most recognized position of need on this roster is one that has been a sore spot for Cowboys fans for a number of years, cornerback. If the Anthony Brown injury and less talked about Jourdan Lewis injury taught us anything it’s that the Cowboys’ depth at the position is seriously lacking. DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs were the bright spots on the outside. Nahshon Wright showed flashes but still needs work and Kelvin Joseph should not be on the roster next season.

Teams were able to locate and attack Wright and Joseph all game long, so now Dallas must adapt and look to build depth and the draft will be a good place to look along with cheap veteran help. Unless they bring Brown back in the offseason and if they do build through the draft.

Offensive Line

The Cowboys’ offensive line is getting older and is in need of young talent on the roster, especially with their starting left guard going into free agency again. The loss of Connor McGovern can’t be overlooked, his ability to play center, guard, and fullback really helped this team when players went down with injuries. They also have Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and Tyler Biadasz are all going to be free agents over the next two years.

Tyler Smith and Terence Steele are nice building pieces for the future but the Cowboys need to find players on the interior of the offensive line that will be able to step in if another string of injuries strikes.

Tier Two Positions of Need for the Dallas Cowboys

Defensive Tackle, Linebacker, Kicker, Running Back, Safety

Defensive Tackle

The Cowboys from a pass rush standpoint are one of the best in the league, but when it comes to stopping the run they fall to 22nd in the league. Clearly, changes need to be made and the Cowboys front office noticed it when they traded for Johnathan Hankins, but that was a one-year rental with Hankins heading into free agency along with Carlos Watkins. Combined the Cowboys are losing a total of 473 snaps on the defensive line and they need to find players to bring in that can effectively stop or slow opposing teams running games.

Instead of taking a defensive tackle later in the draft the Cowboys should try and take one earlier than they have in the past, especially if they want to find someone who can affect the running game the way Hankins was able to when he joined the team.

Linebacker

A position that comes a close second in terms of tier-two needs for the Cowboys has to be the linebacker position. The Cowboys have continually invested in drafting players at linebacker and this draft should be no different. Dallas will have Leighton Vander Esch, Anthony Barr, and Luke Gifford all hitting free agency and will need to bring in someone to fill the role that Vander Esch played for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys have Damone Clark and Jabril Cox who have the potential to take over in that role but Cox has had injury issues and Clark showed flashes of his potential but still has work to do. Taking another linebacker on day two would be a solid move for this team.

Kicker

I’m not sure how often we’ve seen Cowboys games come down to a final second field goal to pick up a win but one thing is for sure you need a reliable kicker on your roster, one you have full confidence in. Dallas thought they had that when they brought back Brett Maher in 2022 but after the complete collapse he had leading up to the playoffs it was clear the Cowboys were going to move on from him at the end of the season. Now the Cowboys are back at square one in terms of finding a kicker whether it be in free agency or through the draft.

Running Back

Dallas is not going to let Tony Pollard leave the building and will work on locking him up for the foreseeable future. Where the Cowboys’ issue at the position comes into play is what are they going to do with Ezekiel Elliott? Elliott has clearly lost a step but the front office’s love for him could cloud their judgment in thinking he still has something left in the tank. The Cowboys have to draft another running back who can come in and compete for that backup role to Pollard. The team likes Malik Davis and he could very well fill that role but they still need to add another young running back to this roster.

Safety

The final tier-two position of need for this team is the safety position, with Donovan Wilson heading into free agency this season and Malik Hooker and Jayron Kearse in 2024 the Cowboys need to add players at this position in preparation for the future. This is another position the Cowboys haven’t been aggressive enough in trying to find in the draft, mainly settling for older or recently cut safeties to come and fill in for a year or two. They need to finally address the need at this position and draft one or even two safeties they think have the potential to be solid players in this league.

Tier Three Positions of Need for the Dallas Cowboys

Edge Rusher, Quarterback, Tight End

Edge Rusher

The Cowboys invested a second-round draft pick taking Sam Williams in last year’s draft, they also paid Dorance Armstrong and figured out a way to keep DeMarcus Lawrence around as well. Pair that with Micah Parsons and the Cowboys have a solid rotation of pass rushers to send at quarterbacks. Now if another talented pass rusher should fall to Dallas and other needs have been met from tier-one I wouldn’t be mad at them for adding another player to the rotation.

Quarterback

You heard it from Jerry Jones himself, the Cowboys are firmly behind Dak Prescott and are looking to work out a new contract with him. The Cowboys do have Cooper Rush who did an excellent job this season filling in for Prescott heading into free agency once again but they have Will Grier on the roster and the coaches have kept him around for a reason. This doesn’t mean the Cowboys shouldn’t go out and sign a free agent to battle Grier to back up Prescott or even draft one who could develop into a starter down the road.

Tight End

The amount of money Dalton Schultz is going to have thrown at him in free agency will most likely be something Dallas isn’t going to match. All is not lost though, the Cowboys found two up-and-coming tight ends in Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot who had big roles this season and make the loss of Schultz more manageable. This is another situation where you can look in free agency for a veteran or draft a tight end later in the draft for depth.