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Cowboys 1st & 10: Cowboys DB Needs and the Week in Review

In this edition of Cowboys 1st & 10 we start to break down, position-by-position, 2020 NFL Draft needs, along with reviewing the best Cowboys stories of the week.

Matthew Postins

Cowboys 1st & 10: Cowboys DB Needs and the Week in Review
Cowboys 1st & 10: Cowboys DB Needs and the Week in Review /

The Top 10 Dallas Cowboys issues of the week in '1st and 10' ...

1) 2020 DALLAS COWBOYS DRAFT NEEDS: DEFENSIVE BACK

CURRENT PLAYERS AT POSITION: Cornerback: Byron Jones (starter), Chidobe Awuzie (starter), Deante Burton, C.J. Goodwin, Jourdan Lewis, Donovan Olumba, D.J. White (reserve/future), Anthony Brown, Safety: Jeff Heath (starter), Xavier Woods (starter), Darian Thompson, Donovan Wilson, Kavon Frazier (IR).

2020 FREE AGENTS: Heath, Jones, Thompson, Goodwin, Brown, Frazier.

DRAFT NEED: Medium.

THE BREAKDOWN: All of the Cowboys’ free agents at this position group are unrestricted, which means the Cowboys are going to have to be strategic about who to keep. Jones would appear to be the highest priority. But the Cowboys have taken great care to try and cultivate depth behind him. Awuzie is already a starter. Lewis is making a case to be a full-time starter in 2020 if Jones leaves. The hinge player at corner might not be Jones, but Brown. If the Cowboys feel that Brown can’t be their third corner moving forward that could put them in position to spend on Jones and allowing Brown to hit the market. If the Cowboys conclude that Brown can, then it may be Jones that’s out the door. 

This is, perhaps, the Cowboys’ most critical decision this offseason. Jones is a quality corner, even if his raw numbers don’t necessarily make that case. But will the Cowboys pay him like a quality corner? We've been reporting what that answer will be for over a year ...

And now personnel boss Will McClay is hinting at the same answer.

As for safety it’s the nearly-annual conversation about how the Cowboys want to upgrade the position. The fact that Heath comes off the contract rolls after this season only makes for a larger case for the Cowboys to pursue a safety in free agency. But could the Cowboys find a safety that fits their needs in the draft? That’s a good question and if Dallas wants to answer that question in April it will probably require a first- or second-round pick to make it worth it.

With the number of players set to hit the market in this position group it is certainly an area of need for the Cowboys in the 2020 Draft.

2) THE BEST COAST BOYS TALK COWBOYS OFFSEASON

In the latest episode of the “Best Coast Boys” podcast, hosts Landon McCool and the Dallas Morning News’ John Owning discuss the hiring of Mike McCarthy and his coaching staff.

After the pleasantries, the guys dive into their thoughts on the Mike McCarthy hire. Landon and John detail why they think McCarthy will be an upgrade over Jason Garrett as Cowboys head coach. John discusses how McCarthy can improve the offense, led by Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, while Landon touches on McCarthy’s humbleness to give up play-calling.

Listen to all that and more on the Best Coast Boys Podcast.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

3) SENIOR BOWL MEANS CONTRACT TALK

As our Mike Fisher reports, signing quarterback Dak Prescott to a long-term extension remains the Dallas Cowboys’ top priority, of course, a fact reiterated this week at the Senior Bowl by COO Stephen Jones. He even used the word "urgent'' to describe the mood and motivation.

There has been plenty of talk about Prescott’s impending contract all season. Fisher takes you through the options that the Cowboys have when it comes to Prescott — and what options Prescott has when it comes to the Cowboys in this piece earlier this week.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune, earlier this week, mentioned that Prescott would be a possible option to back up starter Mitch Trubisky in 2020. I’m sorry, have y’all been drinking? You may not think Prescott is worth $40 million per year, but he’s no one’s backup.

4) COWBOYS FILL OUT THEIR STAFF

New head coach Mike McCarthy made his final hires to his coaching staff this week, retaining one holdover from Jason Garrett’s staff and hiring another coach with a solid reputation in the NFL coaching community. Our Mike Fisher has the report from earlier this week. ...

And then an update on the hiring of a coach who has never actually coached. Hmm.

5) MOCK DRAFT TIME

My first Dallas Cowboys 7-round mock draft will be released in a couple of days, but The Athletic’s Dane Brugler is starting to release his first mock drafts for the offseason. His first two rounds came out earlier this week and featured a national champion in the first round and a solid Aggie defender in the second round. Check out his picks below, and stay tuned for my picks next week.

First round

Second round

6) A BOOK FOR ALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL FANS

Looking for a great New Year’s gift for your college football fan? The 2019 College Football America Yearbook is at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com and features Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence on the cover. Myself and our two other contributors, Chuck Cox and Kendall Webb, travel the country every fall covering college football games each week for using the following year’s book.

The College Football America 2019 Yearbook features more than 930 college football teams from the United States and Canada in more than 250 striking, full-color pages. That includes every team from the NCAA (FBS, FCS, Division II and Division III), NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA and U Sports (Canada). It also includes updates on club football, one-year postgraduate prep/sports academies and Mexican college football, along with dozens of action shots and stadium photos taken by the CFAY staff.

Plus, the great thing about what I do for the yearbook is that I get to see great college football players each week that COULD become Dallas Cowboys next season, and I get to bring that experience to you through scouting reports and other stories throughout the next several months.

Get a copy today at the links below:

Amazon.com: 

BarnesandNoble.com: 

7) COWBOYS AT THE PRO BOWL

Operation ‘Hope Nobody Gets Hurt’ is underway in Orlando.

That look on Amari Cooper’s face. Is this because the game is in Orlando and not Hawaii?

Some fans tried to fill in the blanks.

8) POSITION-BY-POSITION BREAKDOWNS

As we get deeper into the postseason, we have our position-by-position breakdowns for the Cowboys and how it could impact the Cowboys in free agency. We’ll explore the draft needs further once free agency is relatively complete. But, for now, here are our current assessments:

Quarterback

Running back

Wide receiver

Offensive line

Tight end

9) TWEET OF THE WEEK

10) THE FINAL WORD

“Dak’s our leader. He’s the heart and soul of this whole team … he’s gonna get his money.'' - Ezekiel Elliott on his QB, with the full story here.

Published
Matthew Postins
MATTHEW POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist writes for CowboyMaven. He also writes for Inside the Rangers, CowboyMaven,DallasBasketball.com, Longhorn Country, All Aggies, Inside The Texans, Washington Football, covers the Big 12 for HeartlandCollegeSports.com and is the Editor of the College Football America Yearbook.

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