There are some under the radar players on the Cowboys offense to watch out for this season.
The Dallas Cowboys will soon be starting a new season, and it won’t be long until some new players have bigger roles.
That takes place annually. It can be difficult to predict when these unexpected performances will occur because some are predictable while others are completely unexpected.
Even still, playing Nostradamus and attempting to foresee some of the unexpected contributions from players who have mostly been silent is still an entertaining exercise.
Larger roles are influenced by a variety of reasons, some of which are related to new opportunities that arise from roster positions that are vacated.
At times, a change in coaching can bring in a fresh outlook that works better for a different player.
Every now and then, though, a player’s skill level simply clicks and they become so good that it becomes difficult to keep them off the field.
We’ll examine two situations today as we pinpoint two offensive players who might opportunistically assume more responsibility in 2024.
THE GUY WHO IS A “2ND YEAR PLAYER WITH A LARGER ROLE” The most rational explanation is this one. The “next man up” steps in to fill the hole left by a departing player.
Most of the time, we already know who player will be wearing such shoes, but occasionally, it could be a surprise.
Previous year: Ferguson, Jake Following the completion of Dalton Schultz’s rookie deal, the Cowboys searched for a tight end.
The organization bought itself a little more time by placing the franchise tag on Schultz in 2022, so renting his services for an additional year, as they had no other viable player on the roster.
They selected tight end Jake Ferguson of Wisconsin with their fourth-round draft pick in the same year.
Although Ferguson had a modest rookie season with just 19 receptions for 174 yards while playing behind Schultz, the Cowboys felt confident enough in Ferguson’s abilities to let Schultz go. Ferguson performed admirably as TE1 last season after being promoted.
Ferguson hauled in 71 catches for 761 yards and five touchdowns, making it seem as though Schultz was never gone.
In 2021, it was on par with Schultz’s finest professional season. Only two Cowboys receivers last season with over 100 targets each were CeeDee Lamb and Ferguson.
Though Ferguson is only halfway through his rookie contract, it’s obvious the Cowboys made the right choice. Ferguson has already achieved Schultz’s peak.
Jalen Brooks this year There weren’t much expectations for the South Carolina wide receiver who was selected in the seventh round in the previous draft.
Where would the rookie have any chances to see the field behind Lamb, Michael Gallup, Jalen Tolbert, and KaVontae Turpin? However, following the big two, the Cowboys dispersed their love and rookie Brooks saw a brief taste of play, with no real receiving jumping out.
Last year, he managed to catch all six of his targets and at least captured our interest.
The WR3 position is open this season because Gallup is not with the team. Even while everyone anticipates Tolbert to step into that position, don’t be shocked if the other Jalen makes the bigger move. Brooks is a multi-talented person who specializes in utility knives.
He has the feel of Noah Brown because of his value as a blocker and on special teams, but if he can gain Dak Prescott’s confidence, we might see more of a receiver role from him.
Don’t underestimate Brooks, even though we’re all cheering for Tolbert to be that person.
THE “AT LAST HEALTHY” PERSON We may have once believed that a player had the potential to be a significant contributor, but after suffering several injuries, they lost all relevance.
And just when you think they’re gone for good, they pull together a strong season and make us remember why we were so enthusiastic in the first place.
Previous year: Dowdle, Rico Everyone has long agreed that Dowdle would be a valuable addition to the running back group if he could only maintain his health. They were correct, even though it took four years to establish it.
Following two season-ending injuries in 2022 (ankle) and 2021 (hip), Dowdle was able to return to the field.
Throughout his first three seasons in the league, he only attempted seven rushes; however, he ran for 361 yards on 89 attempts last year.
In 2023, he played second fiddle to Tony Pollard. Josh Ball this year You just have a feeling that one of the offensive linemen is going to come up and provide better than anticipated.
Brock Hoffman ought to be the front-runner for this job because he might take Tyler Biadasz’s starting center position going forward.
Even though it might be the most obvious option, we’re going to venture a guess and say that Josh Ball might eventually see improved health in year four, much like Dowdle did.
After suffering an ankle injury in his rookie season and a hip ailment the following year, Ball—who was taken in the fourth round of the 2021 draft—was placed on injured reserve.
Because of off-field problems, he fell in the draft, but he still possesses raw talent.
He might be a useful interior offensive lineman reserve this season if the Cowboys can get him operating properly.
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