The Dallas Cowboys 2015 season ended before it ever began when Tony Romo’s season was filled with injuries. After a 4-12 season, Dallas looks to rebound with a healthy Romo. Can the Cowboys reclaim the NFC East crown in 2016?
3 Postion Battles To Watch:
- Linebacker: Justin Durant vs. Andrew Gachkar vs. Anthony Hitchens vs. Kyle Wilber
There are three linebackers spots up for grabs. Rookie Jaylon Smith is likley out for the year, Rolando McClain is suspended again, and Sean Lee is always hurt. Hitchens has built himself a solid career and figures to be the favorite to start. The other three figure to battle for another until McClain comes back.
2. Defensive Line: Charles Tapper vs. Benson Mayowa vs. Jack Crawford
Both Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory are suspended to start the season. Finding guys to get after the quarterback could become a huge problem to start the season. Tapper is a guy who should some explosiveness at the combine.
3. Back up runningback: Alfred Morris vs. Darren McFadden
McFadden surprisingly rushed for over 1,000 yards a year ago. Morris on one hand has always been a reliable option in Washington after coming to Dallas this offseason. It is unclear how big of a workload Ezekiel Elliot will have to start the season making this battle even more interesting.
Ready To Breakout: Byron Jones
Remember the guy who jumped out of the gym during the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine? Yes that’s Byron Jones and he is coming off a great first season. Jones played a lot of corner in 2015 and is now settling in at safety. His athleticism makes him a prime candidate to break out.
Fantasy Sleeper: Gavin Escobar
Tight ends can be hard to find if you miss out of the top tier guys. Jason Witten is entering his 14th season and won’t be around forever. Escobar is a excellent pass catching tight end who could be worth the risk as a late round tight end option.
Rookie To Watch: Ezekiel Elliot
I’ll go with the obvious one here who has the chance to lead the league in rushing behind the NFL’s best offensive line. Otherwise Dallas had a pretty solid draft getting a few steals in Maliek Collins and Jaylen Smith.
Thus far I am leaning towards taking Dallas to win the division in 2016. The worst to first notion has happened before in the NFL and Dallas is a prime candidate to do it again.
